Aircraft Battery Theory - Lead-Acid, Ni-Cd & Lithium
Two-day (12-hour) CPD course on the three battery chemistries used in aviation - lead-acid, Ni-Cd and lithium - with certification, BMS, thermal runaway, transport, event reporting and shop-floor maintenance.
- Authority: EASA
- Duration: 12 hours
- CPD: 12 hours
- Price: €380
- Language: en
- Online, self-paced, with a verifiable certificate of completion
About this course
A Part-66 B1/B2-oriented two-day course that rebuilds aircraft battery theory across the three chemistries actually flown today: lead-acid (GA, APU starting, emergency buses), vented and sealed Ni-Cd (helicopter and turbine main batteries), and rechargeable and primary lithium (787, eVTOL ship batteries, ELT). The first part establishes cell physics, ratings, internal resistance and capacity testing, the battery on the aircraft bus, and the lead-acid and Ni-Cd chemistries in depth - construction, charging, sulfation, cell imbalance and reversal, temperature monitoring, deep cycling and reconditioning. The second part covers lithium in depth (chemistry families, the BMS, runaway physics, DO-311A and the superseded DO-347, ship batteries and eVTOL, lithium primary batteries, state of charge, balancing and installation design), then charging equipment, maintenance intervals, shop safety and fire response, records and airworthiness directives, IATA DGR transport, battery event response and reporting, and the approved battery shop as a controlled capability - closing with an integrated mixed-fleet exercise, an inspector-style rehearsal and a server-graded final exam at 80% pass. The course expands the classical electrochemistry baseline with the design-awareness layer maintenance staff now need: CS-25.1353, CS 23.2525, RTCA DO-311A (which superseded DO-347), FAA AC 20-184A, FAA SAFO 09013 for fire response to portable electronic devices, and IATA DGR PI 965 - 970 for transport. Each lesson follows the six-station Rotor Academy spine (brief → predict → explain → interact → debrief → check) with shop-floor scenarios - cell reversal on a Ni-Cd main battery, sulfation on a stored piston trainer, runaway propagation on an eVTOL pack, a mixed-chemistry morning in a busy shop.
Syllabus
Module 1: Battery fundamentals & cell physics
Primary vs secondary cells, the ratings that drive aircraft selection, and the failure modes shared across chemistries.
- Primary vs secondary cells
- Battery ratings capacity cr dod
- Temperature age self discharge
- Shared failure modes
- Cell potentials internal resistance
- Capacity testing and instrumentation
- Battery on the aircraft bus
Module 2: Lead-acid in aviation
GA main batteries, APU starting, emergency buses - chemistry, construction, charging and shop maintenance of the workhorse chemistry.
- Lead acid chemistry
- Lead acid construction
- Lead acid charging and sulfation
- Lead acid shop maintenance
- Flooded vs sealed vrla
- Electrolyte handling specific gravity
- Lead acid fault diagnosis workshop
Module 3: Ni-Cd in aviation
The vented Ni-Cd main battery of the turbine helicopter and regional turboprop - chemistry, construction, runaway, deep cycle and storage.
- Nicd chemistry
- Nicd construction
- Nicd thermal runaway
- Nicd deep cycle and storage
- Cell imbalance and reversal
- Temperature monitoring and runaway
- Nicd reconditioning workshop
Module 4: Lithium in aviation
Li-ion chemistries, the BMS, thermal runaway physics, the DO-311A certification basis and ship-battery / eVTOL applications.
- Lithium chemistry families
- Battery management system
- Lithium thermal runaway physics
- Do 311a certification
- Ship batteries and evtol
- Do311a vs do347
- Lithium primary batteries
- Soc balancing and installation
Module 5: Charging, maintenance & shop safety
Per-chemistry chargers, the periodical / regular / overhaul cycle, PPE, fire response and records.
- Chargers per chemistry
- Maintenance intervals
- Shop safety and fire response
- Records ads transport
- Transport of batteries iata dgr
- Battery event response and reporting
- Part145 battery shop capability
Module 6: Assessment
Integrated mixed-fleet exercise and inspector-style rehearsal, followed by a 30-question server-graded final exam at 80% pass.
- Integrated mixed fleet exercise
- Rehearsal bank
- Final exam battery theory
Regulation references
CS-25.1353, CS 23.2525, CS-27.1353, CS-29.1353, RTCA DO-311A, RTCA DO-347, FAA AC 20-184A, FAA SAFO 09013, Part-66 Module 3.5, IATA DGR PI 965, IATA DGR PI 967, IATA DGR PI 970