Post-apocalyptic takeoff. How to fly from an abandoned airport?
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Post-apocalyptic takeoff. How to fly from an abandoned airport?
I'm a private pilot myself, but have no experience with airliners beyond MFS. Now I need a competent consultation as a writer.
So, we are in the post-apocalyptic world and we need to fly from southern US to Australia. We have a big airport (class B or C) with any kind of civil planes we need for the task, fuel trucks with jet fuel and a pilot. However, the airport was abandoned several months ago, there is no electricity and no survivors except for our small group (3-4 men. so we cannot move too heavy things). All batteries in planes and vehicles are probably exhausted.
We need to start the truck, then we need to start the plane. How to do this? Can we find any generators in the airport which we can start w/o electricity and get power for other systems? What jet models have an APU which can be started w/o electricity?
So, we are in the post-apocalyptic world and we need to fly from southern US to Australia. We have a big airport (class B or C) with any kind of civil planes we need for the task, fuel trucks with jet fuel and a pilot. However, the airport was abandoned several months ago, there is no electricity and no survivors except for our small group (3-4 men. so we cannot move too heavy things). All batteries in planes and vehicles are probably exhausted.
We need to start the truck, then we need to start the plane. How to do this? Can we find any generators in the airport which we can start w/o electricity and get power for other systems? What jet models have an APU which can be started w/o electricity?
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Post-apocalyptic takeoff. How to fly from an abandoned airport?
Without electricity? You're bump-starting any piston-engined cars/trucks if you're lucky. And all APUs/jet engines need some kind of external power source, electricity for APUs and usually a bleed air system for jet engines, but you'll still need electricity within certain voltages and amps for the FADECs anyway.
I have read about alternative starting methods from the era of the F-84/F-86. The jet blast of another, obviously running, fighter was directed up the intake of the aircraft to be started in order to spin its engine. A bit like a windmilling start inflight, although most likely involving rather big thermal stress to the recipient.
Someone who has been around at that time will surely be out in a second to correct me if needed.
In the situation the OP outlined, one might start small and move on then. Why not collect a heap of discharged car batteries. Insert one of them into a small car or truck (a follow-me, a baggage tug or similar should be available from Your description), push-start it, wait for its engine to recharge its battery. Wash, rinse and repeat until a sufficient number of batteries is charged. Then hook them up in series or parallel as required to achieve sufficient capacity and voltage and use this contraption to start a bigger engine. Firstly, a GPU to power up the aircrafts electric system and possibly as well the APU. Or if desired an air starter, depending on the aircraft to be used for the escape.
And from there, starting up an airliner should be trivial.
Someone who has been around at that time will surely be out in a second to correct me if needed.
In the situation the OP outlined, one might start small and move on then. Why not collect a heap of discharged car batteries. Insert one of them into a small car or truck (a follow-me, a baggage tug or similar should be available from Your description), push-start it, wait for its engine to recharge its battery. Wash, rinse and repeat until a sufficient number of batteries is charged. Then hook them up in series or parallel as required to achieve sufficient capacity and voltage and use this contraption to start a bigger engine. Firstly, a GPU to power up the aircrafts electric system and possibly as well the APU. Or if desired an air starter, depending on the aircraft to be used for the escape.
And from there, starting up an airliner should be trivial.
If it's a big airport there will be hangars or maintenance facilities. Many have diesel powered emergency generators on site. They may also have a dedicated battery charging facility. Lead-Acid batteries are stored in a fully charged state, Ni-Cads either but you may find some usable units in the battery store room. Get the hangar generator up first and you may be able to charge an a/c battery to full.
Not necessarily. Some smaller turboprop a/c can start the engines from their own internal battery.
If you get the APU running you're laughing.
The B777 has a pneumatic starter on the APU in addition to an electric starter. So if you can get an air starter unit running and a partially discharged battery on board the a/c, you may be able to start the APU.
Refuelling will also require at least a working battery. But a fully powered a/c would be better.
Do not attempt to use a B787.
...all APUs/jet engines need some kind of external power source...
If you get the APU running you're laughing.
The B777 has a pneumatic starter on the APU in addition to an electric starter. So if you can get an air starter unit running and a partially discharged battery on board the a/c, you may be able to start the APU.
Refuelling will also require at least a working battery. But a fully powered a/c would be better.
Do not attempt to use a B787.
If it needs not be a jet airliner:
- An Antonov 2 has a flywheel starter that can be spun up by a handcrank stowed behind the copilots seat. The way to Australia would get a bit long on this type, following the Pacific coast via Alaska, Siberia and so on, but it would be another option.
- For example some EE Canberra can be started via a Coffman cartridge starter.
- An Antonov 2 has a flywheel starter that can be spun up by a handcrank stowed behind the copilots seat. The way to Australia would get a bit long on this type, following the Pacific coast via Alaska, Siberia and so on, but it would be another option.
- For example some EE Canberra can be started via a Coffman cartridge starter.
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The combination of everything above seems to be the solution.
Find a small manual transmission automobile, push start it.
Use it to jump start one or more generators and as many trucks as you need.
Now you can power and fuel whatever you need to power and fuel (of course, you could run out of fuel in the trucks and have to get some out of the ground tanks, but you have generator(s) running to do that).
Find a small manual transmission automobile, push start it.
Use it to jump start one or more generators and as many trucks as you need.
Now you can power and fuel whatever you need to power and fuel (of course, you could run out of fuel in the trucks and have to get some out of the ground tanks, but you have generator(s) running to do that).
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Find a small manual transmission automobile, push start it.
. Many industrial diesel engines have decompressors, and can be hand swung, so look for one of these. If you're lucky it will be on a portable/mobile generator, so the next place to go will be a workshop with battery chargers. Bear in mind that heavily discharged lead acid batteries will take a long time to recover (if at all). Also note that alternators won't usually "excite" unless the warning light illuminates first (this small current passes through the rotor field circuit). So even getting an old diesel running is no guarantee of charging an on board battery. Small petrol engines normally have self contained magnetos, and recoil starters - again there should be a portable generator somewhere. If you are REALLY lucky you might find an old petrol engined car with a dynamo - push one of these fast enough and it will fire up even with a completely flat battery! In short, I would be looking for small equipment, and ride on mowers - anything which can be hand swung, yet ideally has a battery and charging coil.
True - the new fancy electrickery could be a problem. But if one manages to find a diesel vehicle with a mechanic fuel injection and a stick shift, it is very well possible to push start it: one sits in the drivers seat, ignition switch ON, clutch depressed and first gear selected. Everyone else pushes; at maximum speed the pushing crew lets the car go (to avoid injury) while the driver lets the clutch jump to closed (abruptly!). On my gliding field, this was standard procedure in case of an empty battery. Might take more than one try though and ensuring that the fuel system is full (work the little hand pump until fuel comes out of the opened drain hole on the fuel filter assembly) beforehand may be smart as well.
AGM batteries self discharge very slowly, though most modern vehicles have small but finite parasitic loads such as the central locking remote control receiver. Most motorcycles are genuinely "off" when turned off and anyway they still have permanent magnet alternators and carburettors. Small pull start gen sets aren't that uncommon. Lots of motorhomes and yachts have solar panels, heck lots of buildings have solar panels these days. Finding "seed power" to start your way up to bigger things shouldn't be difficult.
If you can find a garage with dry charged batteries you just have to add battery acid, and you have a charged battery.
If need be-
Jury rig a hand-powered generator from a truck or car. Use this to start a car. Jumper-leads from the car to a GPU- now running GPU to power the busses of an aircraft.
Find a 777 300ER, 200LR or 200F. Fill the tanks.
With the small load you are talking about, you are now good for 20-22hrs- anywhere in the US to East-coast Australia. IRS will still be sufficient to get you at least landfall- visual nav to then find a suitable airfield.
Jury rig a hand-powered generator from a truck or car. Use this to start a car. Jumper-leads from the car to a GPU- now running GPU to power the busses of an aircraft.
Find a 777 300ER, 200LR or 200F. Fill the tanks.
With the small load you are talking about, you are now good for 20-22hrs- anywhere in the US to East-coast Australia. IRS will still be sufficient to get you at least landfall- visual nav to then find a suitable airfield.
There's also potential issues raised by the nature of your apocalypse ...
A nuclear war type scenario would have associated electro-magnetic pulses (EMP) and longer term radiation that could adversely affect electronic systems on civilian aircraft. Also, some post nuke models predict significant amounts of ash in the atmosphere for a prolonged period of time after the conflict which could impact on the operation of both piston and jet engines.
A nuclear war type scenario would have associated electro-magnetic pulses (EMP) and longer term radiation that could adversely affect electronic systems on civilian aircraft. Also, some post nuke models predict significant amounts of ash in the atmosphere for a prolonged period of time after the conflict which could impact on the operation of both piston and jet engines.
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A nuclear war type scenario...
And yes, "zombies" are a problem
Solar chargers are a good idea. What is the probability to find a solar powered system in a modern airport? I've seen solar panels on municipal buildings here in Florida, but not sure about airfields.
A mower is also a good idea, it can be easily found and hand-started. Will it provide enough power to jump-start a truck engine?
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Will it provide enough power to jump-start a truck engine?
Also note that any car with an alarm/immobiliser is going to be useless after a period of months. Many won't start after a few weeks in a long stay car park. A few tens of milliamps might not seem much, but multiply by 24 hours a day for a month, and you've a completely flat battery. And once it remains in that condition for several weeks it will suffer from sulphation, and never recover...
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SINCE it is a work of fiction, you can invent an airliner with just enough range and have it have starters like the old canberra bomber. A cartridge starterblows enough air to spin the engine.
you could easily do something like steal a battery from on e plane and put it in another to start the apu. once you have the apu going you might start using regular methods
you might even have to push the fuel trucks up to the planes and OVER WING FUEL using sort of a bucket brigade (it would take forever).
but if you are a writer, you can make it up, its only a book.
by the way, very few planes can make it non stop from USA to australia...why not really make it a great book and have your hero get to DAYTON USAF museum and take out the old B36 bomber or even the XB70...it is a fiction work, right?
here is an image of a POS venom using the cartrdige starter system:http://www.classicairforce.com/uploa...tart-small.jpg
you could easily do something like steal a battery from on e plane and put it in another to start the apu. once you have the apu going you might start using regular methods
you might even have to push the fuel trucks up to the planes and OVER WING FUEL using sort of a bucket brigade (it would take forever).
but if you are a writer, you can make it up, its only a book.
by the way, very few planes can make it non stop from USA to australia...why not really make it a great book and have your hero get to DAYTON USAF museum and take out the old B36 bomber or even the XB70...it is a fiction work, right?
here is an image of a POS venom using the cartrdige starter system:http://www.classicairforce.com/uploa...tart-small.jpg
Last edited by glendalegoon; 12th Nov 2014 at 22:47.
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Large Civil Airport with most kinds of aircraft there? There is bound to be a King Air around there somewhere - take that with some spare batteries out of the cars/vans at the point of departure & go the long way round!
No faffing with air starts & can fly in/out of most places!
No faffing with air starts & can fly in/out of most places!
Travel in style.
Better still if you can find one of these laying around...
Earlier this year, a Gulfstream G650ER was flown 6,947 nm (12,866 km) from Los Angeles International Airport to Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne, Australia, at an average speed of Mach 0.86. This flight was accomplished with fuel reserves well in excess of the National Business Aviation Association’s (NBAA) instrument flight rules (IFR) requirements and took 14 hours and 58 minutes into head winds of up to 13 knots.