Learned something new

[oldtimer]

Yesterday I was watching TV and the Airplane Repo program came on and Mike Kennedy (I think that is his name, he is the adrenaline junkey with the pet alligators and a champion sky diver) taught me something I never knew and so I would like to pass it on to other aviators because it may some day save your life if you ever have a problem with your (or sombody elses) Lear 60.
Now, we all know that if battery voltage is below 17 volts, the battery contactors will not close and you cannot connect a GPU to get started unless you know this neat little trick. Especially a GPU that puts out 16 volts.
All you need is a bit of tape, some electrical wire from a voltmeter and a couple of 9 volt batteries like you use in household smoke detectors. Tape the the two batteries together, wire them in series with wire from the voltmeter (stolen of course) and you have 18 volts which will close the contactors and you are in business.
Now, isn't that is a great tip. I wonder if Flight Safety knows about this? Maybe we should contact the producers of the show and maybe they have some other life saving tips like how to get a Beaver off a glacier or how to tune up an R985 with a cresent wrench and a pocket knife. That guy is one smart dude. Does anyone else have other neat tricks to save the day? dude.

[PilotDAR]

Would this be the time to tell how I used a bit of wire from an old LazyBoy chair, to get a 182RG I was ferrying running, at a remote airport, early on a Sunday morning? Nah, it was a very low adrenaline event.

There are some things we can do, which we should not tell..... I saved the bit of wire as a momento though

[pdw]

... if battery voltage is below 17 volts, the battery contactors will not close ...

Two Ford diesel tractors next door both had their starters overhauled in the summer at the same shop; same starters/same company. After they were sitting for a while into winter, the farmer wanted to plough snow , but no 'battery contact' despite a full battery with the booster charger connected too. No amount of troubleshooting could solve this issue.

Same thing (except 3 volts less); simply, the old battery charger must be a few of volts shy of making the "battery contactors close" in the solenoid, because only had 12 Volts (the old batteries were holding barely 12 Volt). The tractor's alternators put out 14.5 but are off when parked; when the batteries were new they would stay closer to 13.5 for quite a while after shut-down.

Solution. Over the next few days of snow removal a quick boost from another running vehicle with the same standard 14.5 Volt alternator did the trick every time ... ie must have closed the contacts each time. But each time trying with the 12 V battery charger (like a 16 Volt APU in the above) there was no contact. It sure took a while after we got them working reliably each time via boosting, to actually figure out the glitch, that it can be those 'couple of volts shy' that makes all the difference (and maybe some cold steel factored in too).

[oldtimer]

I remember when I was flying floats in Manitoba, we always weaved a loop in one end of our ropes to slide over a bollard. Once I got stuck on a river with a dud starter so rather than risk life and limb, I was able to keep the airplane tied to the dock, slipped the loop over a prop blade and pulled it through. Got the engine started, untied from the dock and flew home with all limbs intact.
I also watched when a crew tried to cold start a Beech 18 (on wheels) by wrapping a rope around the smooth prop hub and pulling the prop over with a skidoo.

The above mentioned was something that worked but that Airplane Repo trick is a bit over the top. I do not for a second believe 2 9 volt batteries can put out enough power to close a battery contactor. Voltage - yes, Amperage - no. Battery charger - you bet. 9 volt batteries - no way. But it looks like Kevin Lacy may be getting some piece of fluff to help him (the Texas APM where he swiped the SR 22) so the program will continue to be light entertainment.

[pdw]

Oh yeah, the times when 'jerry riggings' saved the day; just where do you begin. Or is it best to keep it under your hat in the case where your special remedy is a little bit 'out there' ? I suppose (PilotDAR) there's a 'right time' and context for using those types of experiences for their lesson value ...

I also watched when a crew tried to cold start a Beech 18 (on wheels) by wrapping a rope around the smooth prop hub and pulling the prop over with a skidoo.

Nice one ! But every time there is an audience, like in the remedying of this 'no start' setback, it will be heard around the campfire as long as there is wood to burn. Don't you hate when that happens ... sometimes ?

The inclination to attempt feats of ingenuity in the face of near hopelessness (just so the show can go on) is a talent that gets shaped with practice. Whether it's buddy Andy growing up on Grand-dad's farm in Kakabekka Falls operating old hay-baling equipment (keeping it going so the whole crop gets in before the rain), or a climber at the end of their rope struggling to find good holds halfway up a tall face, or the crab fisherman securing nets ahead of a gale ... or (just add in your special circumstance); it's having 'given it a try' and 'fixing' if it broke, that seems to be the common denominator.

[V1VRV2]

Have a look at this non standard procedure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ecosb5mSDwo

[Liquid Charlie]

I have hand spanked pretty much all prop aircraft I flew from a cub to a DC-3 - never used a rope -- 2 blader was easier than a 3 blader on the whoredyne and a dc-3 worked better with 2 people but all started -- and of course fuel injected engines always started better cold than hot --

[V1VRV2]

Liquid Charlie

Id love to hear more about the DC3 ...
You mentioned 2 people can you elaborate or better have any pics

Thanks

[Liquid Charlie]

Not much to tell -- get the engine primed - switches on and throttle set with a guy in the seat to keep it going once it fired -- 2 people -- one behind and one in front of the prop each gripping the prop and just run like hell -- repeat until it starts -- - that was with the -92 now -94 engines I never tried but they might not start nearly as easily as the -92

[V1VRV2]

Ok sounds dangerous ! I would have thought the R2800 would have way too much compression also i take it they have impulse couplers ! As you can see i haven't had the opportunity to fly Radials so far during my career. Too bad I'm older now and probably never will:(

Thanks for the great post

[Liquid Charlie]

I would have thought the R2800

-- indeed they would have -- I flew the cv-44 and you would not be hand spanking those -- especially with a throat primer -- the 1830 on the dc-3 was a different animal -- whilst you might not want someone that was 6 foot and a bunch for the behind the prop position because of ducking under the oil cooler with a coordinated run both people were a long way away when the engine fired -- ahh the good old days -- did it once right in front of YQT tower and terminal with dead batteries -- got one going and got the electrics back and then disappeared towards the north --

[oldtimer]

I saw the best one yet. A cartoon but none the less an interesting take on hand spanking. This time it was a German WW1 bomber. One Prussian soldier with his arm around the prop and linked arm in arm with a few other Prussian soldiers and the last one holding a couple of German Shepard dogs. A bit in front was another soldier about to release a cat from a cage. Funny as all shit.

[Taiser]

Back in the day, out in the boonies, when the "ol Norseman" was acting up, you'd be surprised how often the term "Just MacGyver it!" would come up!!!

[pdw]

That show was good at instilling a viewers confidence to improvise ...

[pelmet]

Yesterday I was watching TV and the Airplane Repo program came on and Mike Kennedy (I think that is his name, he is the adrenaline junkey with the pet alligators and a champion sky diver) taught me something I never knew and so I would like to pass it on to other aviators because it may some day save your life if you ever have a problem with your (or sombody elses) Lear 60.
Now, we all know that if battery voltage is below 17 volts, the battery contactors will not close and you cannot connect a GPU to get started unless you know this neat little trick. Especially a GPU that puts out 16 volts.
All you need is a bit of tape, some electrical wire from a voltmeter and a couple of 9 volt batteries like you use in household smoke detectors. Tape the the two batteries together, wire them in series with wire from the voltmeter (stolen of course) and you have 18 volts which will close the contactors and you are in business.
Now, isn't that is a great tip. I wonder if Flight Safety knows about this? Maybe we should contact the producers of the show and maybe they have some other life saving tips like how to get a Beaver off a glacier or how to tune up an R985 with a cresent wrench and a pocket knife. That guy is one smart dude. Does anyone else have other neat tricks to save the day?

Something similar can be done if you are in a remote area with an APU equipped aircraft requiring bleed air to start engines. Most APU's seem to have 95% rpm switch. Below that rpm, you won't get its electrical power or APU air which means you ain't going anywhere until you get that air. If you discover after starting the APU that you are just under 95% rpm, you have a problem. Vehicle batteries may be able to help open that bleed air valve if you have a maintenance guy or flight engineer to do that sort of thing. Or so I have been told by a co-worker claiming to have done it.

[plhought]

...I do not for a second believe 2 9 volt batteries can put out enough power to close a battery contactor. Voltage - yes, Amperage - no. Battery charger - you bet. 9 volt batteries - no way..

Have done it plenty of times on the bench utilizing 3x 9V (27V) - quick bench check of start contactors (which on Beech and similar stuff are actually 12 volt contactors, to avoid opening with transient low voltages experienced during starts) and all sorts of other big contactors (battery, gen's etc). Works great. Don't forget the principle of contactors - use low amperage/light wiring to close high amperage/heavy wiring circuits. You don't want to have 200 amps going through your Gen switch!

Troubleshooting electrically actuated bleed valves on APUs and such - Use 3 9'vs as well to drive the valve into open/close positions, meter out open/close annunciations. Works great

3 9V's actually even fit together great - and you get 27ish VDC - little more handy then 18ish.

Something similar can be done if you are in a remote area with an APU equipped aircraft requiring bleed air to start engines. Most APU's seem to have 95% rpm switch. Below that rpm, you won't get its electrical power or APU air which means you ain't going anywhere until you get that air. If you discover after starting the APU that you are just under 95% rpm, you have a problem. Vehicle batteries may be able to help open that bleed air valve if you have a maintenance guy or flight engineer to do that sort of thing. Or so I have been told by a co-worker claiming to have done it.

Sounds like you are talking about the 3-position centrifugal switches common on (now older) Garret APU's. It's a lot easier to just adjust the 95% centrifugal switch down a bit (usually just an common screwdriver or allen-key will do) then try and hot-wire the bleed valve while the APU is running. Or just tweak the acceleration schedule adjustment up a bit after starting to bring it up above 95%.

It'd be a little tougher on newer APU's. With electronic speed controls and anti-surge valves and all that jazz...would be tough to do.