What Battery Do You Use?

[cubtractor]

I've been using the Aerovoltz battery for almost 2 years and it's worked great.

[jmodguy]

Scorpion batteries..... Made in communist China hmmmmm
They stole my personal info from OPM. Gee I get free credit monitoring for a couple years.
They have stolen and continue to steal our tech info. Pretty much everything in our lives is made in China nowadays.
Superior, ECI, Cessna, Mooney, Beechcraft, Continental.... When is it going to end...

[neville]

With 912iS, Rotax created a service instruction stating 912iS with LI-ion
battery must have an internal battery management system. John Mc B made up
a kit to replace the original Aervoltz with an EarthX which has the BMS.
Installs nicely and has caused no problems after 40 hrs.

[jrevens]

I'm going to use the made in the USA Deka that Kitfox provided with my kit. It's an AGM battery like the Odysseys, and very reasonably priced & available from multiple sources on the internet as well as locally here in Denver. 220 CCA. I'm not really worried about the weight of the battery at this point - I understand that the newer model Kitfoxes tend to be a little tail heavy, if anything, anyway. Might as well use an inexpensive, reliable battery to start out with - that's what I'm thinking.

[PapuaPilot]

I'm using an Odyssey 680. It is doing a great job from the tail for starting the engine. I couldn't afford to go any lighter in the tail because of the CG.

[jrevens]

Makes sense, Phil. I should have said that the Rotax powered Series 7 may typically be a little tail heavy. If you want to carry a load in the baggage area, the heavier, cheaper batteries located in the engine compartment might be a good choice. Can anyone confirm that?

[jiott]

I think you are right John, but its only a small amount. Since the battery on the firewall is about the same distance ahead of the CG as the baggage is behind the CG, a 10 lb heavier battery will allow about 10 lb more baggage without affecting CG.

I have the Aerovoltz lightweight battery and I nearly always go over max gross (1320 lbs) before I go out of CG range no matter how I configure my load. So I would make my battery choice based on other factors. The thing I really, really like about the Lithium battery is the way it holds charge. I can let the plane sit for a month or more in the winter and it will not lose even a 1/10 of a volt. I never hook up a trickle charger or "battery minder".