text: can someone explain alternating current generation and distribution on aircraft? this answer should be easy enough for an apprentice to understand i am an old air craft engine mechanic so things may be a little different now. they use an alternator to generate the ac voltage for the aircraft. the alternator on your car produces ac current and with the use of diodes changes it to dc. the reason for using ac is that the voltage can be changed very easily with a transformer and with a diode to dc to operate just about any kind of electonics.