A & C - I agree, things are pretty desperate if we want to mod our Vigis for combat ops, but that doesn't really cover my point. As far as I am aware, the honourable QC gave the MOD one last chance to get its ship in order with regards to safety. So an accident with a Grob glider/motorglider on the military register would be deemed just as bad as if it had been a Typhoon and the QC would carry out his threat and take the MOD's right to underwrite its own airworthiness away.
AnglianAV8R - the mags on a 912 fire off at 220RPM. Now even with a 2.43:1 gearbox you still need to swing the prop at around 90RPM to get it to fire. So if you're conducting the 'gurgling ritual' at 90RPM then you aren't doing it right!!! Never heard of a 912 start during 'gurgling' although you can hand swing a 912 if you swing the prop quickly enough (ie. 90RPM+ to generate 220RPM+ on the crank that will self fire the mag to the Ducati electronic ignition unit). Also, starting from cold is harder and so you would probably need the choke selected as well. Finally, a very well known ROTAX expert in the UK (and world hovercraft champ) explained that 'gurgling' is all about constant slow and positive movement rather than flicking it like a hand start. Remember ROTAX 912s are different to your average Lycoming/Continental/VW set up.
LJ
Last edited by Lima Juliet; 19th Jun 2015 at 20:25.