Rocker
Your first statement was correct. New aircraft EMER GEN doesn't deactivate at gear down.

@ Vilas...
 

"Can you explain exactly what is your complaint?"

Umm, sure... That otherwise excellent, type rated pilots apparently do not have a deep enough understanding of their machine's backup systems. You said, "complaint," sir, I did not. I'd call it a common concern. Sooner or later, that small, missing bit of functional detail will bite you.

No Fly Zone
Your mention of energy management of RAT is rather vague and appears like a general lament. If you could explain the precise concern will be better. I do believe in knowing details of the systems. But at least if you know what is being achieved by the ECAM procedure that is good enough. Normal and abnormal procedures are presented in much the same way as a car's user manual and if you don not have deeper understanding can leave you feeling uncertain despite completing the full procedure. May be that's what you meant.

I think you're somewhat mistaken in presuming that these sorts of questions are coming from "excellent pilots" typed in anything other than their keyboards. I, for one, rather doubt that had the OP actually been a crewmember on the aircraft in question, his next stop after talking to that apocryphal captain of his would have been PPRUNE.

But that's just me.

If you dispatch with APU GEN inop, and have an engine failure in flight, you're left with only one electrical source just after the failure has occurred. Should there be some form of electrical generation malfunction with the remaining electrical source, would you enter mechanical backup law whilst on batteries during the time taken as the RAT auto deploys and EMER GEN couples to the electrical network? Or would you remain in alternate law (gear up of course)?

If mechanical backup law is true, would there be a case for deploying the EMER GEN if you were reduced to a single electrical source in flight? An electrical malfunction at an ill timed moment could leave you in no man's land whilst the RAT deploys and generator is coupled. Would the EMER GEN just power the essential systems as per ELEC EMER CONFIG and leave the less essential systems to be powered by the remaining IDG? Or would it be more complex?

Port Strobe, I suppose the "big picture" answer to your question would be how likely would it be for the same airplane to suffer what amounts to three separate electrical failures within one flight (the APU gen is deferred, then both IDGs fail in sequence). The "no man's land" scenario you're describing would last approximately 8 seconds (I suppose those could be the longest 8 seconds of a pilot's life under the right circumstances), which is NOT long enough to justify flying around with the RAT deployed, in my view.

Port Stobe; I don't have time to go through the schematics and wiring manual right now, I'll have a look next week.

Port Strobe


Aircraft will not go down to MECH B/UP in the scenario you described because enough HYD power & Electricals (by BATTs) are available. ALTN LAW will activate (with L/G up).

Port Strobe
Between failure of all electrical sources and deployment of EMER GEN via RAT takes 8 seconds and aircraft is powered by batteries through the inverter, it will go in alternate law with rudder mechanical till FAC 1 is reset, then rudder will also change to alternate. Mechanical back up will happen if there no electrics whatsoever or all computers trip together.

Thanks all who answered, very helpful indeed. I agree it would be a highly unlikely scenario, however if someone had listed all QF32's ECAM procedures here 5 years ago they'd have been shot down. Now I've learned a bit more about mechanical backup I see it was unfounded, but thanks to those for helping.

WhyByFlyer
At last.!! Someone who knows...or has read, and understood, FCOM. Thanks for the input. :D

No Fly Zone
What on earth are you on about?:ugh: