Larry and Dan made some good observations. My experience with aircraft and cars has been such that every circuit that you can separate and protect individually in a practical sense is best. Honda makes it a point to run individual power and ground circuits in almost every circuit in their cars, and I have seen only one or two develop electrical issues due to wiring in 15 years. It is also very nice to be able to flip the master on and then just the one or two devices to work on them and test them. In the air the ability to isolate circuits is virtually mandatory for proper protection of yourself and the airplane if something goes wrong. If you run dual ignition the one switch is not nearly as safe because it can take out both if it breaks inside of itself.
Also, pilots need to remember their primary flight training, or get more information to expand their knowledge in order to best deal with emergencies. Like Larry said a fire is a bad thing. Depending on where on the plane it is, diving to blow it out, or smother it with air may be your only alternative. In both Law Enforcement and my Aviation Training, I was always taught to plan at all times what I would do if this went wrong, or that happened. That way I have already mentally rehearsed the procedure and it can be done with normal flight precision, instead of possibly freezing up, or mental overload. Just some thoughts.... Colin Rainey [email protected] EarthLink Revolves Around You.
