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Date: Sat, 05 Mar 2005 23:27:50 -0500
From: Ernest Christley <echristley@nc.rr.com>
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To: Rotary motors in aircraft <flyrotary@lancaironline.net>
Subject: Re: [FlyRotary] Re: fuel cutoff valve necessary?
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rijakits wrote:

>     * **Some fires start at the cables, they are called "electric
>     fires" for that matter!! Also happened to me in a EC120 where LACU
>     (light and ancillary  control unit) shortened out on a small
>     switch - the whole dash starts to light up with all alarms then
>     goes quiet - the whole thing looked like a christmas tree. None of
>     the switches worked anymore (although at the end it was just one
>     faulty switch which shortened out and burned about 4 wires).
>     Luckely the whole thing stopped itself in there and I was able to
>     fly on to a suitable landing place. However the electric fuel pump
>     couldn't be switched any more either ( same control unit). If that
>     /electric fire/* *would have gone* *any further, the mechanical
>     fuel shut off would have been the only way to shut off the fuel.*
>

I know you've said you last, but I think we've been talking past each 
other.  The above statement from your post makes it all to clear.  If I 
was flying something as complicated as what you describe above, then I 
would say you are absolutely correct.  Having multiple relays 
controlling relays that lead to breakers that trip a switch to a highe 
power pump somewhere within miles of cable...jeesh!  I would DEMAND a 
dead simple mechanical cutoff.

We're not talking about anything that complicated.  We're talking about 
a single wire going  from the power supply to a single pump at the back 
of the plane.  If the switch breaks, the pump stops.  If the wire burns, 
the pump stops.  If the fuse blows, the pump stops.  If the pump stops, 
the fuel stops.  An electrical fire won't have you looking for alternate 
ways to shut off the fuel; though, it may have you looking for ways to 
get it running again 8*)