EarthX battery

[belloypilot]

I had a 'mishap' last summer that ended the life of my MT 205 at 9 1/2 years. It had been subject to its fair share of Northern Canadian off-airport abuse both before and after I owned it. I'd say it stood up remarkably well. I now have an Ultra. I've never run a Trailblazer so I can't offer a comparison opinion, but I've seen nothing that would indicate MT products don't stand up. The Ultra runs smoother and appears to be a better performer in cruise than the 205 was, but the 205 was beast for aerodynamic braking when you chopped the power. Lots more surface area at fine pitch. I had to modify my landing technique a bit with the Ultra as a result.

 

[Ak Kurt]

Having owned all 3 MT props for a Husky I have not had any issues with any of them concerning finish or durability. I did have a seal issue with the Ultra that MT promptly fixed thru the prop shop Tiffin Aire in Tiffin Ohio ( I highly recommend this shop). I have flown the trailblazer now for about 10 hours. In my experience the Ultra is noticeably smoother and the Ultra is a bit better in performance than the Trailblazer. To me, the Trailblazer seems less robust, the edges are thinner, however, by no means am I implying its a delicate prop, I just think, in my opinion and experience the Ultra is the better performing, smoother, lighter more robust prop.

My prop choices are in order.

MT Ultra
Hartzell Trailblazer
MT original 2 blade 205 or 210cm
MT 3 blade
76 inch metal Hartzell
80 inch metal Hartzell

 

[belloypilot]

Had a talk with the Aviat folks at Afton today. The word is they are getting denied field approvals for EarthX batteries these days. That kills it for me - at least for now. I’m guessing EarthX will be working hard on STC approval if they hope to sell those batteries into the certified market.

 

[belloypilot]

Well, 3 years later it looks like EarthX finally has an STC for Husky’s.

Aircraft Battery STCs | EarthX Batteries

Installing a battery in your certified aircraft requires a field approval or an STC. Access STC documentation for our products for free.

earthxbatteries.com

One will be coming my way soon, I hope.

 

[Audette]

I have an earthX in my RV-7 and love the thing - Going on 4-5 years and no issues. I'll likely put one in my Husky when the time comes.

 

[Cubrath]

I ordered a battery kit for my Husky. Had one back in the day for my Carbon cub and I really liked it. I think it’s the cheapest 18 pound savings you can buy.
I’ll keep you posted on the STC install.

 

[Flying Dave]

Look forward to your report. Take pics! Where is your planned mounting point??

 

[Cubrath]

Looking at the STC there is a foam type insert to put it in the original battery box under the rear baggage.

 

[belloypilot]

When I spoke with them they told me that venting is an STC requirement for the Husky as well. I didn’t think that would be necessary unless it was in the cabin area but apparently the FAA decided it needed to be vented, so there’s that. That, and the need to run wiring for the panel mounted battery status indicator seem like the only real complications from what I can tell - as long as the charging system specs meet the stated requirements.

 

[Flying Dave]

Any updates on installs??

 

[Cubrath]

New EarthX Husky STC...

What do you all think? Saves 15+lbs...I have one in my RV-7a and love it. I think I'm going to order the battery and the Kit for my Husky. Info from backcountry pilot: Save 15-17 pounds instantly and increase your cranking power and longevity of your battery! The ETX900-TSO battery at 5.4...

flyhusky.com

 

[Flying Dave]

Thanks. I had forgotten about that thread. The battery is stated at 5.4 pounds. Guessing the additional hardware in the mounting kit doesn't weigh more than a pound?

 

[jliltd]

I have had an EarthX in my RV-8 aircraft for 5 years. It is the vented version as it is mounted aft of the baggage area. Anywhere aft of the firewall pretty much triggers the vented option, and for good reason. These "Iron" versions of LIthium batteries do not catch fire like the infamous "Ion" versions. They just smoke. Without the battery overboard vent the cockpit will go IFR if the battery produces white smoke. Don't kid yourself that air doesn't flow from the back of the fuselage forward into the cabin. I installed the EarthX external vent fitting on the belly of the RV-8 but the Husky has a perfect location to put one on the bottom inspection cover aft of the baggage area. The battery itself has two vents that can be connected into one vent line with a Y adapter. I would put the vent tube overboard fitting on that bottom removable fabric cover along with a 2-pin SAE bulkhead connector so a charger could be plugged into the connector to keep the battery maintained with easy external access. Since the fabric cover is non-structural there should be no resistance from your AP.

I love this battery. It cranks the starter so fast I could probably taxi with it. And yes, you need to hook up the EarthX Battery Management System (BMS) wire to a warning light on the panel. Alternatively, if you have a glass panel, EFIS or engine monitor with extra discrete inputs that same wire could be hooked up to that for annunciation on the device's screen. Instructions for that interface are shown in the installation manual for Dynon, Garmin and other EFIS systems. The warning annunciation will flash in a couple of modes corresponding to what issue the BMS wants to alert the pilot about. My wing man flying another EarthX-equipped RV-8 experienced an alternator on our first attempted trip to Oshkosh this year. The BMS helped flag that failure with an "EarthX" flashing on his G3X Touch screen. I had programmed that message text (seems logical) 4 years before when hooking up the BMS wire to the Garmin flight deck. We turned around for home and his whole glass panel went black when the battery finally gave up. I escorted him back in as a flight of two by texting him our approach and tower instructions with him en trail. As an aside he has dual P-Mag electronic ignition modules that produce their own power above 800 RMP (similar to conventional mags) so the electrical system failure did not affect his electronic ignition.

Maintenance-wise the biggest difference between EarthX Lithium-Iron and conventional batteries is the type of charger/maintainer to use. Use a high-quality LIthium battery charger such as the Optimate brand EarthX calls out for in their manual. Never use a "de-sulfating" mode on a charger. EarthX requires an alternator with a power output rating of no more than 80 amps. And never jump start a dead Lithium battery from a full size car battery. If using a GPU never exceed the amperage current rating shown on the sticker on the battery. Never run sensitive equipment like avionics if the battery is on a charger as that may cause problems with the devices (same is true for any type battery and any type of battery charger). Sounds like a lot of stuff but really just common sense and I don't find the EarthX to be any more "needy" than lead acid batteries.