Definition
A component of a piston engine's ignition system that routes the high-voltage electrical pulse from the magneto to the correct spark plug at the correct moment in the firing order. It consists of a rotor that turns in time with the engine and a set of fixed terminals, each wired to one cylinder.
Plain English
A rotating switch that sends the spark to the right cylinder at the right time. The magneto makes the spark; the distributor decides which spark plug gets it next.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft engine ignition system descriptions, maintenance inspections, and troubleshooting for rough running or hard starting.
Derivation
From Latin distribuere, meaning 'to divide and hand out.' The distributor divides one stream of high-voltage pulses among many spark plugs, handing each one out in the correct order.
Why Pilots Care
A faulty distributor can cause misfiring, rough running, or complete engine failure in flight.
Intuition Check
Distributor does not mean a person or company supplying parts here. In this context, it means an engine part that routes ignition spark to the correct spark plug.
Example Sentence 1
During the 100-hour inspection, the technician removed the distributor block to check for cracks and carbon tracking.
Example Sentence 2
During the magneto check, a drop in RPM indicated a problem inside the distributor.