How to Start a Cessna Plane (embedded video)

Cutting up some air shots for a project and came across this.

We landed, filled up with juice and then...the old girl would not start due to a flat battery.

So here is what you do.

1.2 meg wmv

Then we got into the air and we lost all electrics as the battery dropped a cell completely ... so the only thing keeping us flying was the magneto sending power to the coil/spark plugs...no radio nothing..funny, just analog gauges.

Hate to think what world of happened if the dash had a full electronics display.

Sometimes old is good.

so the only thing keeping us flying was the magneto sending power to the coil/spark plugs...no radio nothing..funny, just analog gauges.

I am not sure funny is the proper word But it does make for some good video and story when it is all said and done

I do think the 'Battle of Britain' or any other suitable soundtrack in the background would have giving it more depth.

And "Chocks away" being shouted as the props turnover.

Cool

Dive safe

DeanB

Good thing it was warm eh? :-)

Cheers

James

Back in 1976 I remember coming back from the skydiving nationals in Zepherhills, Florida in a small Cessna 182. We hit a massive storm at night over Fredricksburg,Virginia where, we found out later a jetliner went down. All instrumentation went out and I was holding a flashlight for the pilot on the only 2 instruments that were working, the altimeter and airspeed indicator. All our parachutes were in the back and we couldn't get to them. We had to buzz some country airport a few times to put on their runway lights and we finally were able to touch down. The next morning we also had to prop start the engine. We eventually survived the trip I guess, or I wouldn't be writing this little story.

Steve B)

Steve you use to jump out of planes. Was watching a heap of cool clips the other night on some mad French doing crazy things.

That would of been an interesting flight, what would of happened if they did not turn the lights on.

Some strips over here can have their lights turned by remote control...3 clicks on a special channel with the planes radio.

Well, even if they had such a thing back then, because of the electrical storm having wiped out all the instrumentation, I doubt if it would have worked. Just glad there was someone on duty. Yep, I was as nuts about skydiving as I am for scuba. Every weekend, snow, sleet, rain, whatever, I was at the airport, a young broke hippy taking the manifest of the other jumpers just to get a few more jumps in. Dove from Dec 5, 1970 to '77. Eventually, the competition on the acrobatic teams just got to be more work than fun and so I quit,moved to San Diego and took up scuba, sharks and video. Lifes a beach.

Steve B)

Did you ever have any close calls with your chute?

Would like to give it ago one day. Done tandums.

Here is another one I found, us flying across the Nullarbor Plain in the Piper at 300kmph at 100 feetish

4 megs

Hey Wags,

Back in the day, we didn't have tandem jumps. Your first 5 jumps were all static line and then you progressed in free falls by doing 3 5 sec, 3 10 sec, 20 and 30 sec jumps until you were cleared and considered 'off instruction'. In the 70s we all jumped Para Commanders which were advanced round chutes. The students jumped military TU-7s and double L's. The square chutes were considered pretty dangerous at the time, prone to malfunction and such. While I had landed in trees 3 times over the years and had my share of pilot chutes caught in my back burble, I never had a real malfunction. I did have my jumpmasters rating and a few other award rankings. Scattered several herd of cows in my day and landed in some fresh cow patties as well. Never hurt though I saw one guy in Z Hills, Florida at the Relative Work Nationals get killed. I've always thought skydiving was much safer than scuba; still do. I quit at 413 jumps which is a good amount but there are those today who have 10,000 jumps.

Steve B)

Hey Wagsy enjoyed the lowlevel NOTE flying, did you ever catch the other aircraft a bit lower and in your 2 O'clock

Jeez, miles and miles of 'nothing' (euphamistically speaking)

We landed, filled up with juice and then...the old girl would not start due to a flat battery.

I can remember trying to boost a C177B (Cessna Cardinal), a few years back, at Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City, in February with an outside temperature of –24º C.

The propwash from the engine really redefined the term “Wind Chill Factor†for me.

We landed, filled up with juice and then...the old girl would not start due to a flat battery.

So here is what you do.

Hehe. You guys are dangerous!

Now I realise how boring it is me flying a Jet. Just an unexciting push on the start button and the computer does the rest.

Julian

I can remember trying to boost a C177B (Cessna Cardinal), a few years back, at Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City, in February with an outside temperature of –24º C.

The propwash from the engine really redefined the term “Wind Chill Factor†for me.

Now imagine falling at anywhere between 120 and 160 mph in sub zero weather and feel the wind chill factor in your bones. Damn, and I used to call that fun.

Steve B)