Pilots start own planes?

13 January 2005, 11:05 AM

A little off subject(but not much!)..........this is a good, how do you say suberb?picture of a couple of RAF erks getting out of the way of the prop on this 9 ACK.......place Iraq, date, about 1923.
My Dad is the mech. walking away to the right!

Ian

MicroSculpt · 13 January 2005, 06:48 PM

Ian:

Wow, it looks like that was a three-man pull! Plus, it highlights just how risky a profession it was.

Thanks.

Tom

Dan_San_Abbott · 13 January 2005, 07:09 PM

Microsculpt:
The ground crew would cal out,"Gas on, switch off!", then turn the prop through until fuel would drip from the carburretor over flow line exiting the bottom cowl, and then prime the primer cups. In the case of the S.E.5/S.E.5a the cranking handle for the starting magneto was on the outside of the cockpit plywood fairing at the right rear. The Crew Chief would get the pilot situated and when everything was ready they would call out,"Switch on, gas on,contact" and the crewchief would vigorously crank the handle of the starting magneto and the Hisso would start with a mellow low rumble and settle down to a purr. A Hisso is a real smooth engine.
Happy New Year and Blue skies,
Dan-San

14 January 2005, 12:22 AM

If you watch the movie "The Great Waldo Pepper", you can watch Waldo start his own plane, but not from the cockpit, then chase it.

dzus · 14 January 2005, 01:59 PM

Just for fun

Se5a starting procedure:
Here

A little video:
Here

Regards

Arno
www.memorial-flight.com

17 January 2005, 01:33 AM

It was all in French. ( I saw the "English icon tooo late). And what was with all the instruments in that cockpit ?

adrian roberts · 17 January 2005, 04:59 PM

Aircraft running away on starting was not uncommon. An example would be McCudden as very junior Air Mechanic, pre-war, sending a Farman crashing into another (both unoccupied) when he started it.

As for pilots starting aircraft by themselves: I'm not commenting on Bishop, but certainly Rex Warneford spent a night in a field in enemy territory after downing LZ37, and started his engine unaided the next day and flew home.

Dan_San_Abbott · 17 January 2005, 06:27 PM

Dzus:
I have never seen a photo of a S.E.5a with the rear fuselage set on a tressel. Futhermore you won't find a tressel in any S.E.5a squadron flight line photograph. That is a typical German practice, but not an R.F.C./R.A.F. practice. I have video of No.60 Squadron preparing for takeoff, one start and no tressels or ladders for climbing on board. What is the source of this practice?
Blue skies,
Dan-San

MicroSculpt · 26 January 2005, 12:51 PM

Dan-San:

Perhaps the tressled procedure described at the Memorial Flight site was performed before roll out to the flight line?

It does seem to be logical to have the craft level to check fluids. Or, was the craft designed to have its fluids accurately sampled while sitting on its tail?

Tom

Machinbird · 26 January 2005, 02:00 PM

Probably the most important reason I can think of for placing the aircraft in a level attitude would be to check out the synchronizers after gun or synchronizer maintenance. You wouldn't want the bullets to fly to undesirable locations. If the SE-5 is never seen with its tail on a trestle, perhaps there is some aspect of the armament that eliminates the need for live firing to validate synchronization with the prop.