Comments on: Starting

By: Land and Hold Short » The perfect start

Land and Hold Short » The perfect start — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:31:50 +0000

[…] There are a few times when pilots become especially self-conscious about being observed by others: when talking on the radio, when landing, and when starting the engine. Of the three, as I’ve written before, starting a piston engine is by far the worst — you shout “CLEAR!” to make sure everyone on the crowded apron is watching, then deliver a loud commentary on your progress (or lack thereof) with a loud CHUFF-CHUFF-CHUFF-CHUFF. If it goes on too long, people start either to stare at you, or even worse, to look away in embarassment. Eventually, if the engine doesn’t fire, you stop for a while to let things cool down, then repeat the whole humiliating process. At this point, a well-meaning instructor or mechanic might take pity on you and walk over to give you a hand, before both your battery and your ego run completely flat. […]

By: Paul Tomblin

Paul Tomblin — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 19:49:12 +0000

My first flooded engine came on my long solo cross country as a student. I was in an unfamiliar airport, and all alone. I got out of the plane and there was fuel dripping out of the bottom of the cowling. I went inside, did a few maneuvers on the food simulators, and came out and tried starting without prime and with the mixture off, and it worked. I was amazed. The POH was actually right about something.

Now I fly a fuel injected Piper Lance, and starting it is a bit of a black art, but those of us initiated into the fraternity have very little trouble, even when it’s hot. The secret is not to touch the throttle, prop or mixture controls (leave them right where they were when it was shut down) until the engine catches, and then quickly move the mixture knob from idle-cut-off to full on. The engine just idles at a nice steady 1000 RPM without the initial roar that you get with normally aspirated engines when you start them at full throttle.

By: Rick Wilson

Rick Wilson — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 17:58:10 +0000

How true! Of course the first time I had a terrible flooded engine problem on a hot day was with my father sitting there in the C-172N I was flying at the time. I think the expression he had could best be described as “baleful”. I managed to get it started on the third go, but that was the longest moment of the entire flight.