If you are looking for a portable power supply to use as an emergency starter for your aircraft, you need to look at the technology that is being used with lithium batteries. Although the traditional lead-acid batteries can still be purchased, there are several advantages to using a lithium design for an emergency starter unit for your small to medium size aircraft.
These units are lightweight and smaller
Typically a lithium starter supply will weigh anywhere from 20 to 30 lbs. In general, this represents 40 percent less weight than using a lead-acid equivalent battery. This is light enough that it can be carried by hand in the case of an emergency. A lithium design will be about a third smaller in volume. Both a smaller size and lighter weight make them more portable than ever before.
They are easy to transport yet powerful
They are made with a handle that makes them easy to pick up and carry from point A to Point B. Even though they are small, they can be purchased with a compatible power rating with your aircraft’s power system. There is no sacrifice of power due to their smaller size.
Lithium batteries last longer
By utilizing a lithium battery in a starter supply, the battery life of the unit is at a minimum twice as long as seen with lead-acid types. Much of this is due to the nature of lithium batteries. They can be recharged after the starter unit is used, and the recharging unit is built into the starter unit. Because these starter power supplies are portable and lightweight, they can be easily carried to a convenient power source for charging.
Lithium batteries store easily
With lithium, you will not experience the damage that is often seen with the terminals of a lead-acid battery. The worst part of using a lead-acid battery system for emergency startup is when you go to use it in an emergency and find that the unit is not working properly because the battery has degraded due to sulfation. This is a problem for all lead-acid batteries and is a good reason not to depend upon them in an emergency.
Better for the environment
Lithium ion battery cells are not harmful to the environment and can be easily recycled compared to lead-acid batteries.
This type of lithium portable starting unit is sold by several companies. One example of a company that offers this type of product is Start Pac.
