"November 46 Romeo, are you declaring an emergency?" asked the Abilene Tower con-trailer. Juan, new owner of the Diamond DA-40, looked at me from the left seat, eyes bulging, clearly uncertain how to respond. "What should I tell him?"We had begun a training flight on the ramp in San Antonio earlier this morning, intending to make a "round robin" flight around the middle of Texas to complete the insurance requirements and to familiarize Juan with both the airplane and the new Garmin G1000 panel. In his mid 30s, Juan is a medical doctor and fairly low-time private pilot. He is whip smart and serious about training. He purchased the airplane to allow him to travel to outlying hospitals for shifts in the emergency room. With his wife riding in the back seat, we had flown to Midland, then on to Abilene. By the time we arrived in the Abilene area, the sun had disappeared, and the lights of the city sparkled in the clear winter air. Juan's approach and landing had been flawless, and I could sense his confidence building as we taxied back for departure. Our plan was to make one more leg, then spend the night before continuing his training the following day.Checklist complete, we were cleared for takeoff. As the DA-40 lifted off, a warning light flashed on, indicating "Alternator OUT." A quick scan of the voltage showed normal output, but the warning light remained illuminated. Juan looked over, clearly stressed, and asked, "What do you think?" I replied quickly, "I suspect it is just an indicator problem, but since it is dark and we are already here at an airport with services, we should probably return and check things out on the ground." Juan agreed, so he called the tower to request a return for landing.
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