I lost my alternator 3 times in my 180 before I figured out why is was going
bad. I flew for more than an hour and when I landed it stilled cranked like
it was charged.
Why would you need an extra one. Wouldn't you just land at the nearest
airport if you where IMC.
"Michael" wrote in message
oups.com...
USA wrote:
Hi all, does anyone know if the PA28-235 platform can handle a backup
alternator? If so, how would one be mounted? If not, what is the
substitute alternative? Any suggestion on how many hours in labor &
costs would be appreciated.

First off, I don't doubt a method could be devised to install a backup
alternator. However, this would be considered a major alteration
requiring either an STC or field approval. In this day and age, I
doubt you would get a field approval (even if someone previously got
one for the same thing - the pracice of accepting prior field approvals
as data for new ones has gone away, unfortunately) and AFAIK there is
no STC.

You can search all the existing STC's for a particular make and model
on www.airweb.faa.gov/stc - be sure to check PA28-235 and PA28 series.
It's not terribly searchable but you can always cut the text from your
favorite browser and paste it into a text editor with search capability
if you so wish.

If there is no STC (and I suspect there is not) you're looking at tens
of thousands to make it happen.

I suggest that a much better approach would be to carry a handheld
radio and GPS. Depending on what you choose, cost can vary from $500
to $3000. Also, you might consider adding a BNC connector allowing
your handheld com to use an external antenna in case power goes out.
Total cost for that should not exceed $200.

Michael