Questins about Pressurized Mags

[FlyingAggie]

Probably this subject should have it own thread....

The plane I am hoping to buy has pressurized Slick mags, so I need to learn more about the subject.  Normally as the air density decreases conductors operating at the same high voltage have a greater tendency for corona discharge.  This article has a pretty good explaination of the need for pressurized mags and some of the increased maintenance problems associated with them.

Magnetos Under Pressure

My question to the other 231 drivers is, "Are your mags Slick or Bendix and are they pressurized? 

What problems have you had? 

How often have you had them rebuilt?

 

Alan

Quote: Kwixdraw

Not to divert the thread but somewhere in all of this isn't there an issue of the pressurized mags working properly at high altitudes?  Seems like I read something in a book by the guy that owns SkyRanch ( is it John Schwaner or something like that?) that there were some problems with proper ignition due to the thinner atmosphere causing erratic spark timing. Just trying to understand the whole turbo ops picture since I may want one someday.

[Buster1]

My 231 has pressurized Slicks. I have never had a moment's probelm with them (as far as high altitude miss is concerned), but I have never flown above 17,000.

Don

[Buster1]

My 231 has pressurized Slicks. I have never had a moment's probelm with them (as far as high altitude miss is concerned), but I have never flown above 17,000.

Don

I don't know why this posted under Buster's name.

Don Muncy

[Parker_Woodruff]

Kfahmi (from the AOPA boards) has a Piper Turbo Arrow that has basically the same engine as on a 231 and his requires pressurized mags to keep from misfiring up in the teens.

[Kwixdraw]

Thanks guys. I was thinking that it might be better off in it's own thread but I was fishing to see if it was a factor for the guys that were talking about running LOP.   It seems to me that if you are going to take your engine out into the LOP ops range you really want those mags sparking just right. A lot has changed in the way average pilots operate their aircraft over the past 10 years or so.

[RobertL]

The Aztec (NA) routinely goes to FL150-160 (in Europe transition level can be as low as 3000') and have never had a mag issue - is this potential misfiring related to the higher output available to turbos in the teens?