Definition
A rotating electrical machine that combines a generator and a motor in one unit, allowing it to function as either depending on how it is energized. In aircraft systems, a genemotor is typically used to convert one DC voltage to another, running as a motor on the input voltage while simultaneously acting as a generator producing the desired output voltage.
Plain English
A single machine that works as both an electric motor and an electric generator at the same time. It is driven by one voltage from the aircraft's electrical system and produces a different voltage that other equipment needs.
Context Anchor
Seen in older aircraft electrical-system descriptions, wiring diagrams, and maintenance references for equipment that needs a different electrical supply than the aircraft normally provides.
Derivation
A blended word from 'generator' and 'motor.' The name itself describes what the unit does: it is one device that performs both jobs.
Why Pilots Care
If equipment in the aircraft is powered through a genemotor, a failure of that single unit takes both functions offline at once. Knowing the term helps a pilot understand wiring diagrams and troubleshoot why a radio or instrument has lost power even when the main bus is healthy.
Intuition Check
Do not read genemotor as an engine or a source of aircraft thrust. It is an electrical device that converts power for equipment.
Example Sentence 1
The radio set was powered through a genemotor that stepped the aircraft's 28-volt DC bus up to the higher voltage required by the transmitter.
Example Sentence 2
Older aircraft relied on the genemotor to maintain battery charge during long flights.