Coober Pedy - "Cessna takes off without pilot"
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sale, Australia
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The aircraft is designed with a starter motor. If the starter motor is inoperative or the battery is too weak to turn the prop over enough to get a start then defect it in the maintenance release (battery or starter or both depending).
Would you guys who where taught the proper technique care to share it with us please. It would be a handy thing to know when stuck in the above situation!
In a Cessna I would firstly chock the pilot side wheel with rocks, wood etc and apply the park brake. I would then rotate the propeller until it was on a compression stroke. Then I would turn the master on, mags on, and prime the engine, (usually enough charge in the battery to give the 520 a squirt) and set the throttle an inch forward. I would then walk to the co-pilot side, stand behind and to the right of the propeller and placing a rag on my hand to protect against the sharp edge of the prop pull down through the compression of the motor, making sure you and your body are well clear of the disk and are not going to be knocked forward into the propeller if the aircraft lurches forward by a strut or a low wing/high wing leading edge.
Once the engine is started (takes a few goes on a 520) climb in through the copilot door and into the pilot seat check your Ts and Ps and remove the chocks by leaning out of the door with your feet on the brakes.
I know a non pilot is not allowed to manipulate the controls however you can brief a passenger on how to use the toe brakes and get them to help you if you feel as the skipper that they are competent. You can also brief them on how to shut the engine down if it lurches forward uncontrollably by pulling the lever closest to them which is the mixture.
You are operating outside of the POH and the REGS if you do this so you must weigh it all up and be prepared for the consequences if it goes pear shaped.
I'm not advocating the above procedure, it is up to YOU to seek the knowledge and training of someone who is authorized to give it and have it stamped or entered in your logbook to say you have received the training. It is also a last resort option and if you can contact your base, do so first and discuss with the owner/cp/engineers before attempting a hand start. If you do something recklessly and ill planned then you must be prepared to accept the consequences.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: turn L @ Taupo, just past the Niagra Falls...
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Originally Posted by Captain Peabody
The C206 has a rotary ignition so you can't check grounding...
What on earth difference does the switch type make??? They both (rotary or individually switched) do the same job -take a single mag to earth or both mags to earth. All the ignition function checks can be fully established by appropriate use of whatever switch type you may have! Anyone telling you otherwise is talking through a hole in their head.
Your concerns re the exhaust system potentially suffering damage are valid -to a point. Conducted properly, a mag drop or dead-cut check poses absolutely no threat to your engine!!! The dead-cut should only ever be done at or very near to engine idle RPM -not (emphatically) 1200RPM or whatever other arbitrary figure your freshly-minted instructor currently espouses. You mag function (drop check) is appropriately done at 1200RPM or thereabouts -because you already know 2 things from having done your dead cut at idle: 1) you mag is working and 2) it's earthing when commanded to do so. No further threat to your engine exists from doing a function check at that (or the higher ~1800/2000rpm) engine speeds. Other than...
Inadvertantly flicking both mags off or rotating the switch one stop too far to the left. If your mags are earthing properly (that dead-cut again) your engine will stop. DO NOT SELECT YOUR MAGS BACK 'ON' -that's what does the damage. Allow the engine to stop completely, turn off your avionics and do a normal restart. The only damage suffered will be to your pride -and potentially (minor) damage to your wallet in the bar later.
The Green Goblin: I'm with the others on that throttle setting. 1" open is about 7/8's of 1" too far for an Armstrong start on a -520 or indeed any big-block Continental or Lycoming IMO. I'd use 1" open to prime, then just barely crack the throttle for the start. Wouldn't even bother trying to Armstrong a hot, injected engine either (been there, done that), unless the situation was absolutely desperate. Carburetted engines seem to start relatively easily regardless of the size.
A37575: huh? That's nonsense.
The Green Goblin: I'm with the others on that throttle setting. 1" open is about 7/8's of 1" too far for an Armstrong start on a -520 or indeed any big-block Continental or Lycoming IMO. I'd use 1" open to prime, then just barely crack the throttle for the start.
On the A36 I would prime fully open for a second or so then close the vernier and give it about 3 half winds forward.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: oz
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I have been told by a very wise LAME/pilot that when starting any carburetted engine you should always have the throttle closed completely for any start and then increase it slowly and smoothly once it has started. The theory goes that with the throttle closed, the idling jet will give the engine what it needs to start. This avoids it 'racing' up to a high RPM straight after start which would happen if the throttle was open, which is not good for the cold engine.
Something else I've been shown by a pilot recently is if the engine fires then dies again, give the throttle a quick pump as it dies to give it another squirt of fuel. I gave it a try and found that it seemed quite rough on the engine as it was doing a lot of starting and stopping before it eventualy kicked over. Anyone heard of this technque? Good or bad for the engine?
Something else I've been shown by a pilot recently is if the engine fires then dies again, give the throttle a quick pump as it dies to give it another squirt of fuel. I gave it a try and found that it seemed quite rough on the engine as it was doing a lot of starting and stopping before it eventualy kicked over. Anyone heard of this technque? Good or bad for the engine?
Goblin: Co-pilot's door?
Matey
everything you described sounds fine but the only Cessna I have ever flown fitted with IO-520 AND a co-pilot's door is a C185.
I'm too fat, too old and too lazy to climb in the window of a C206!
everything you described sounds fine but the only Cessna I have ever flown fitted with IO-520 AND a co-pilot's door is a C185.
I'm too fat, too old and too lazy to climb in the window of a C206!
everything you described sounds fine but the only Cessna I have ever flown fitted with IO-520 AND a co-pilot's door is a C185.
C210?
I once had an engineer hand start a C310 for me and was quite impressed.
It started pretty easily.
No way on earth I would have done it though...
Join Date: Jan 2009
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If, according to so many people here, hand starting is safe, then why do airframes continue to be written off and people severely injured?
Sure, your answer to that is "they don't know how to do it right".
Well history tells us that people will keep getting injured/killed and planes will keep getting destroyed as long as people think that hand starting is acceptable.
If it was safe, Cessna would have put it in their POH.
Sure, your answer to that is "they don't know how to do it right".
Well history tells us that people will keep getting injured/killed and planes will keep getting destroyed as long as people think that hand starting is acceptable.
If it was safe, Cessna would have put it in their POH.
If it was safe, Cessna would have put it in their POH.
Matey
everything you described sounds fine but the only Cessna I have ever flown fitted with IO-520 AND a co-pilot's door is a C185.
I'm too fat, too old and too lazy to climb in the window of a C206!
everything you described sounds fine but the only Cessna I have ever flown fitted with IO-520 AND a co-pilot's door is a C185.
I'm too fat, too old and too lazy to climb in the window of a C206!
206/207/210/310 All seem to have 'em
GG,
Most 206's do not have a RH front Door
185
Most 206's do not have a RH front Door
185
I know the new ones produced after '98 don't have them but I haven't seen any new ones in the GA companies yet. They seem to buy Airvans now instead
hmmmmm
I was under the impression about 800 odd were built with the copilot door. Would be interesting if anyone can find the statistics and build dates.
GG
I was under the impression about 800 odd were built with the copilot door. Would be interesting if anyone can find the statistics and build dates.
GG
Last edited by The Green Goblin; 7th Aug 2009 at 03:36.
It's in the designation, ie, a U206has no copilot door and the RHS double rear doors, but a P206 had the copilot door but no wide rear doors - just a cargo compt door as in 182's.
happy days,
happy days,
I stand corrected. There were some variants that had the older config of 2 front doors.
see here courtesy of CPA
http://www.cessna.org/members/public...es/206hist.pdf
see here courtesy of CPA
http://www.cessna.org/members/public...es/206hist.pdf