Aircraft Battery Theory - Lead-Acid, Ni-Cd & Lithium: what you need to know
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.
Overview
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 The second part covers lithium in depth (chemistry families, the BMS, runaway physics, DO-311A and the superseded DO-347, ship batteries and eVTOL, lithium primary batteries, state of charge, balancing and installation design), then charging equipment, maintenance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baseline with the design-awareness layer maintenance staff now need: CS-25.1353, CS 23.2525, RTCA DO-311A (which superseded DO-347), FAA AC 20-184A, FAA SAFO 09013 for fire response to portable electronic devices, and IATA DGR PI 965 - 970 for transport.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.
Topics covered
- Battery fundamentals & cell physics - Primary vs secondary cells, the ratings that drive aircraft selection, and the failure modes shared across chemistries.
- Lead-acid in aviation - GA main batteries, APU starting, emergency buses - chemistry, construction, charging and shop maintenance of the workhorse chemistry.
- Ni-Cd in aviation - The vented Ni-Cd main battery of the turbine helicopter and regional turboprop - chemistry, construction, runaway, deep cycle and storage.
- Lithium in aviation - Li-ion chemistries, the BMS, thermal runaway physics, the DO-311A certification basis and ship-battery / eVTOL applications.
- Charging, maintenance & shop safety - Per-chemistry chargers, the periodical / regular / overhaul cycle, PPE, fire response and records.
- Assessment - Integrated mixed-fleet exercise and inspector-style rehearsal, followed by a 30-question server-graded final exam at 80% pass.
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
Train with Rotor Academy
Aircraft Battery Theory - Lead-Acid, Ni-Cd & Lithium - 12 hours online, with a verifiable certificate of completion.