BE58 PLT ENCOUNTERS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC DISTURBANCE AND TEMPORARILY LOSES ELECTRICAL PWR.

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I HAVE ROUTINELY FLOWN IFR OUT OF SQL FOR 20 YRS. SINCE SEP/11; THE DELAY BTWN ADVISING THE TWR I'M READY TO GO AND TKOF RELEASE HAS LENGTHENED TO AN AVERAGE; IN MY EXPERIENCE; OF OVER 20 MINS. THESE DELAYS ARE A DETRIMENT TO SAFETY. THEY HAVE ENCOURAGED ME TO FLY VFR MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY AND SET UP THE FOLLOWING CHAIN OF EVENTS. ON MAY/SUN/02; I DEPARTED VFR WITH THE INTENT OF FLYING BELOW THE CLOUD DECK AND ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST TO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. I FLEW OVER THE COAST AND AWAY FROM LAND TO AVOID THE SFO CLASS B AIRSPACE. SHORTLY AFTER CLRING THE COAST; I EXPERIENCED WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE AS AN ELECTROMAGNETIC 'EVENT.' THERE WERE A FEW SECONDS OF BLUISH LIGHT (GLOW BUT NO SOUND) AND BOTH ALTERNATORS DROPPED OFF LINE AS WELL AS ALL THE AVIONICS GEAR. IMMEDIATELY PRIOR; THE RADAR WAS NOT PAINTING ANYTHING MORE THAN LIGHT PRECIP. I TURNED AWAY FROM SFO TO TRY TO RESOLVE THE SIT. THE ISOLATION BUSS RESTORED THE XPONDER BUT NOTHING ELSE. ALL VACUUM INSTS WERE WORKING AND ALL ENG GAUGES WERE NORMAL. I SHUT DOWN THE DEICE; FLEW THE PLANE; AND GOT 1 ALTERNATOR BACK ON LINE; CYCLED THE AVIONICS MASTER AND GOT LIGHTS; BUT NOTHING SEEMED TO WORK CORRECTLY. NO BREAKERS WERE BLOWN. GOT THE SECOND ALTERNATOR BACK; THEN THE DEICE. NEXT; I TRIED TO CONTACT BAY APCH WITH MY HANDHELD WITHOUT SUCCESS. MY INTENT WAS TO DECLARE AN EMER AND GET A CLRNC TO CLB. I HAD A PERFECTLY FLYABLE ACFT ALBEIT IN SUB PAR VFR CONDITIONS. I KNEW WHERE I WAS AND WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE COASTAL RTE AND I HAD GYROS AND A WORKING HANDHELD VOR. I BELIEVED CORRECTLY THAT CONDITIONS IMPROVED TO THE N. I DECIDED TO CONTINUE RATHER THAN PLUNGE BACK INTO THE BAY AREA WITHOUT CERTAIN COMS. THE NEXT CHALLENGE WAS TO NAV TO POINT REYES WITHOUT PENETRATING SFO CLASS B AIRSPACE WHILE REMAINING VFR. THERE ARE SEVERAL LESSONS HERE WHERE CHANGES COULD IMPROVE SAFETY. LET ME OBSERVE FIRST THAT IT IS PRACTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TOGGLE A HANDHELD BTWN 2 VORS TO DETERMINE INTERMEDIATE DISTANCES WHILE HAND FLYING. MARKING A TERMINAL CHART WITH TANGENTIAL RADIALS TO HEAVILY USED VORS (IN THIS CASE; PYE) AS WELL AS DME ARCS; WOULD HAVE HELPED. SECONDLY; THERE IS NO CORRESPONDENCE BTWN THE CLASS B SEGMENT BOUNDARIES AND VISUALLY OBSERVABLE FEATURES; WHICH MAY HAVE HELPED. STAYING VFR AND OUT OF CLASS B AIRSPACE WAS A HUGE WORKLOAD! ONCE PAST CLASS B AIRSPACE; I WAS ABLE TO CLB VFR BTWN LAYERS AND ULTIMATELY ON TOP. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL; EXCEPT TO REMARK THAT VARIOUS PARTS OF THE AVIONICS GRADUALLY RETURNED TO USEFUL OP AS THE FLT PROGRESSED. 1 XPONDER AND 1 NAV/COM STILL SEEM INTERMITTENT. I HAVE NO REASONABLE EXPLANATION FOR WHAT HAPPENED; BUT WILL NOTE THAT SOLENOID CONTACTORS SEEMED TO BE WHAT WAS EFFECTED WHILE CURRENT SENSITIVE ITEMS LIKE BREAKERS WERE APPARENTLY NOT. HOW THE AVIONICS SELF-HEALED IS BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION.