June 2014-

Q: Hi Steve,
I fly my Piper Cherokee 235 a lot. I like to fly to remote strips to hike and fish. Sometimes I'm gone for up to a week.
It doesn't happen often, but there have been a couple of times when my airplane battery hasn't been able to crank the engine. I know how to prop my Cherokee, but I consider this a dangerous option and will only do it as a last resort.

There is a ground power plug on my Cherokee but I'm reluctant to spend $200 for a set of Piper-specific jumper cables. There's usually a jeep or pickup truck around at these remote strips—and being out in the country, automotive jumper cables are always nearby—so really, all I need is a way to get power from the jumper cable clamps into the Piper ground power plug.
I suppose I could mess around long enough to figure out how to connect the jumper cable clamps to my Cherokee's battery terminals, but that seems like a real hassle. Is there a better way to get power into my airplane ground power plug?
—Hiker Hank