Northcoast Technologies now has an all-electric air conditioning system for GA aircraft, currently STC’d for three Cessna 182 and two 172 models.
Northcoast’s Bob Rutherford says it is “the first all-electric, hermetically sealed, brushless DC air conditioning system” for GA aircraft. Unlike other systems, it does not use an engine-driven compressor – but it does require an alternator of 80 amps or higher output, he said.
Weighing only 45 pounds, the system can be installed in 60 to 80 man hours. The kit comes complete with the appropriate wiring harness.
Rutherford says the system can be plugged into 28-volt ground power for rapid pre-cooling – a 20° cabin temperature drop in five minutes – and after that its computer maintains the desired temperature automatically, with no further intervention by the pilot.
Similar kits are available for Experimental category aircraft, which add less than 30 pounds to an airplane’s weight.