First engine start

I saw a video of an RV-10's first engine start. The plane was chocked under one wheel, and tied off to a golf cart. I commented wondering if he thought the golf cart would hold him, his response was, "hope so, I didn't have brake fluid in it."

Got me thinking about how many times lack of common sense causes accidents.

Timely post

First engine start is within a few days for me.
My brakes are operational and I plan to tie the tailwheel to a big tie-down cement block or a sizeable farm tractor if available.
Front wheel chocks or not??
Those that went through this, any wise recommendations?

Keeping in mind that nothing has been tested, and understanding that there's a small chance of having a problem, I'm working to avoid dealing with failed brakes, a runaway engine or any other crazy stuff...

Have a fire extinguisher close by in case.

Common sense was an uncommon virtue

Makes one wonder why the engine was started without brakes if not to do what engines typically do, which is to move the vehicle about.

On the one hand Safety is no accident, on the other we have one of the best Safety philosophies from NASA which calls for things to be 'as Safe as reasonably practical.'

Take whatever precaution you need for what you feel COULD reasonably go wrong. Proper linkage attachment should make a runaway engine an impractical outcome. Assuming the operator doesn't get control dyslexia.

Other little gotchas that are harder to see and that would lead to a fire are probably more likely negative outcomes.

That said, if you are going to chain her down do so in a way the ensures the thrust line doesn't cause a tip over. When I did sustained high power testing in my -7 I strapped the mains at their attachment to the engine mount for thrust and strapped the tail wheel strut from any lifting using pad eyes at my nearby transient tie down area being considerate of prop wash and noise.

riseric said:

First engine start is within a few days for me.
My brakes are operational and I plan to tie the tailwheel to a big tie-down cement block or a sizeable farm tractor if available.
Front wheel chocks or not??
Those that went through this, any wise recommendations?

Keeping in mind that nothing has been tested, and understanding that there's a small chance of having a problem, I'm working to avoid dealing with failed brakes, a runaway engine or any other crazy stuff...

Click to expand...

I recommend not starting the engine until you are close to ready for the first flight. I tied mine down to the gear legs, up near the fuselage, and routed the straps through the tailwheel to help hold things down, then tied to my car, with the strap under the car wheel, to keep it low. I had one independent strap to each gear leg. Straps were rated to about 2 tons, IIRC. Total force measured by our thrust test for my io-360/Hartzell was 3112 newtons or just under 700 lbs.

I had my aircraft pointed to an open field on the airport, had the wings on, was essentially ready to fly in case something really, really weird happened.

I've seen videos of aircraft running over the chocks and tipping over, prop strike, etc. and it's sad and tragic.

Keep in mind for first engine start lots of bad stuff can happen, so be ready.

rv8ch said:

I recommend not starting the engine until you are close to ready for the first flight. I tied mine down to the gear legs, up near the fuselage, and routed the straps through the tailwheel to help hold things down, then tied to my car, with the strap under the car wheel, to keep it low. I had one independent strap to each gear leg. Straps were rated to about 2 tons, IIRC. Total force measured by our thrust test for my io-360/Hartzell was 3112 newtons or just under 700 lbs.

I had my aircraft pointed to an open field on the airport, had the wings on, was essentially ready to fly in case something really, really weird happened.

I've seen videos of aircraft running over the chocks and tipping over, prop strike, etc. and it's sad and tragic.

Keep in mind for first engine start lots of bad stuff can happen, so be ready.

Click to expand...

Thanks Mickey, that's all good advice, I like the straps from the upper gear legs to under the car wheels idea. The plane will be ready for flight.

DaveO said:

Have a fire extinguisher close by in case.

Click to expand...

I will have 2 observers, one on each wingtip.
Another will handle the big extinguisher, in case of...
Another will be in radio contact with me.
If any see something they don't like, they will raise an arm and my radio guy will transmit STOP-STOP-STOP so if my eyes are on the panel, I know right away to kill the engine.
Pointed in a safe direction of course, no one in front...

wawrzynskivp said:

On the one hand Safety is no accident, on the other we have one of the best Safety philosophies from NASA which calls for things to be 'as Safe as reasonably practical.'

Take whatever precaution you need for what you feel COULD reasonably go wrong. Proper linkage attachment should make a runaway engine an impractical outcome. Assuming the operator doesn't get control dyslexia.

Other little gotchas that are harder to see and that would lead to a fire are probably more likely negative outcomes.

That said, if you are going to chain her down do so in a way the ensures the thrust line doesn't cause a tip over. When I did sustained high power testing in my -7 I strapped the mains at their attachment to the engine mount for thrust and strapped the tail wheel strut from any lifting using pad eyes at my nearby transient tie down area being considerate of prop wash and noise.

Click to expand...

Best practices for a safe outcome is what I'm striving.
I'm very confident that mechanically, I won't be surprised by glitches otherwise I would not plan on starting the engine yet.
Better safe than sorry !!!

I'm getting close to my first engine start - maybe around the start of the new year. Before first flight, I'd like to run it a bit on the ground. Taxi testing. Run ups. Etc. Just make sure that everything is working as it should before getting it in the air. Taxi around, run it up, take it back to the hangar. Look for problems like oil leaks, loose stuff, etc.

But everything I've read, and the great AOPA A&P monthly podcast, says that the goal for a new engine to break it in right is to run it hot from the start. Start it, get it up, get it hot. Break it in quickly because if you don't get it hot enough, you can slow down the break in process.

How do you balance the need for full ground testing of everything (oil flow, oil cooling, alternator, etc) with the need to break in the new engine as soon as you can after starting it?

My intentions

My intention concerning the ground runs, and what I understand from different sources is that the least and shortest ground runs are best.

On the first start, idle/1000 RPM to warm the oil, confirm that nothing is amiss. Then at 100F or so, slowly up to 1800-2000 RPM for a quick run-up and prop cycle test, followed by a slow increase to max RPM then idle and shutdown.
That should last maybe 4-5 minutes?
I will have to demonstrate a run-up at final inspection (Canada), so one more 4 minute run.
Then the next start will be taxi, run-up and go if all is well.
Run it as close to 75% for as long as possible is what I intend to do.
Checking temps and other parameters of course.

Cable movement as desired?

It does not happen often, (but it has been posted previously) throttle arms have been installed on servos incorrectly. Along with throttle quadrant cable hook up causing reverse cable movement. Before start up day, it's a great idea to verify that what you are inputting as throttle closed is actually happening at the engine end. Likewise with the mixture.

I confirm that Throttle handle closed=throttle butterfly closed

I have no mixture cable.

AlpineYoda said:

...
How do you balance the need for full ground testing of everything (oil flow, oil cooling, alternator, etc) with the need to break in the new engine as soon as you can after starting it?

Click to expand...

It's one of the major challenges of a new aircraft and a new engine.

What I did, which seems to have worked fine so far (<100 hrs, check back in about 2000 hrs) is:

1. carefully check everything was tight and correct, and got as many extra eyes on the FWF installation as I could find;
2. ground test minimal just to see if it would start, all plugs firing, etc.
3. required thrust test - this was fun - "full" throttle on ground with load tester measuring the "pull" of the engine/prop combo to ensure it would actually fly;
4. attempt break-in with shroud - built a shroud for cooling, but it was honestly too scary to run full throttle on the ground - if any of you have ridden rodeo, you know what it felt like - a real buckin' bronco;
5. fly with full power as low as safely possible for a couple of hours

Some tests were done with the cowl off, and for some the cowl was removed quickly to ensure all was ok.

I promised myself I would fix *anything* that another builder or A&P flagged as a potential problem, and I did. There weren't many, but I fixed them. Mostly adding additional support for sensor wires.

One thing I did not do during ground runs is to accurately set the max RPM on the prop governor. During the ground runs I got just under 2700 and I figured that I'd do the first few flights just under 2700 and all would be great. What I didn't realize is that the limitation during my ground run was the prop fine pitch, not the governor, so during my first flight, I hit the 2700 number which got my EFIS very excited. Probably didn't need that during my first takeoff, but after my brain finally processed what "RPM TOO HIGH" in the middle of my EFIS meant, I just moved the blue knob back a bit and all was fine.

Many will say "don't overthink it, all will be fine" but I recommend to overthink it now, so that your first flight will be easy - chair fly it a lot - I probably did it dozens of time, both in my living room and sitting in the cockpit.

Get your friends or build advisor or flight advisor or all of them to challenge you, and to look at your aircraft. Give them bright lights and inspection mirrors. Let them know it won't hurt your feelings if they say "I would not have done it that way." Listen to their suggestions - they probably know something you don't.

Thanks for the answers!

Now all I have to worry about is the advice to keep it as low as possible during break in. My field elevation is 5288 feet. There is no such thing as "low" here!

Find out what the manufacturer has already done

Depending on where you source the engine, yours may have already gained several hours of initial run through their test cell. Contact your manufacturer and solicit where you are on the 'break in' process.

I am casting a vote for a fully assembled airplane with all cowling installed being chained down and performing as long a full power run as your reasonable CHT will allow. Those possible induced air slugs may not present themselves with a less than full power run or a short full power run. Consider that you still won't get the real take off experience because you'll be missing the fuel sloshing backward and the rotation angle. But I would much rather exchange a few hours of total engine life to have the confidence that my powerplant has shown itself to be rock solid before I release the brakes for the first time.

Hard, NOT Hot

AlpineYoda said:

I'm getting close to my first engine start - maybe around the start of the new year. Before first flight, I'd like to run it a bit on the ground. Taxi testing. Run ups. Etc. Just make sure that everything is working as it should before getting it in the air. Taxi around, run it up, take it back to the hangar. Look for problems like oil leaks, loose stuff, etc.

But everything I've read, and the great AOPA A&P monthly podcast, says that the goal for a new engine to break it in right is to run it hot from the start. Start it, get it up, get it hot. Break it in quickly because if you don't get it hot enough, you can slow down the break in process.

How do you balance the need for full ground testing of everything (oil flow, oil cooling, alternator, etc) with the need to break in the new engine as soon as you can after starting it?

Click to expand...

I think you are misinterpreting advice for engine break in. The goal is to run the engine HARD but NOT hot. Heat is actually the enemy of a good break-in because it can cause cylinder glazing and other issues. What you want to do is run it at high-power to provide the cylinder pressures required for proper ring seating, but at the same time you do not want to let the engine and oil get excessively hot.

Skylor

wawrzynskivp said:

Depending on where you source the engine, yours may have already gained several hours of initial run through their test cell. Contact your manufacturer and solicit where you are on the 'break in' process.

I am casting a vote for a fully assembled airplane with all cowling installed being chained down and performing as long a full power run as your reasonable CHT will allow. Those possible induced air slugs may not present themselves with a less than full power run or a short full power run. Consider that you still won't get the real take off experience because you'll be missing the fuel sloshing backward and the rotation angle. But I would much rather exchange a few hours of total engine life to have the confidence that my powerplant has shown itself to be rock solid before I release the brakes for the first time.

Click to expand...

Good point - from memory (which could be wrong) the log book from Lycoming Thunderbolt came with 4 or 4.5 hours already on the engine. That might have broken it in a little.

skylor said:

I think you are misinterpreting advice for engine break in. The goal is to run the engine HARD but NOT hot. Heat is actually the enemy of a good break-in because it can cause cylinder glazing and other issues. What you want to do is run it at high-power to provide the cylinder pressures required for proper ring seating, but at the same time you do not want to let the engine and oil get excessively hot.

Skylor

Click to expand...

My notes from the AOPA podcast series (and it seems that about 1/3 questions are about break in of new engines, new cylinders, etc.) say that a Lycoming should level out at around 400F once broken in but during break in you should try not to get above 440. Once the rings set and the cylinders smooth out, the temperature will noticeably (and may suddenly) drop to around 400. How does that compare with your experience?

CHTs

Even during the first 50 hrs I have never seen more than 365F for the CHT. I actually did some work to reduce cooling flow to keep things in the mid 350s. Small drop in CHT over the first 75 hrs, perhaps 10-20F.

Throttle linkage

Back to front.
Been there done that on a Luscombe many years ago.
First engine run we tied down the tail. Bit exciting but caution paid off.

Rob