What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Ignition Key Switches

Lycosaurus

Well Known Member
Did you know that there exists a universal ignition key (ch751) for those keyed switches we use for ignition and starting the engine?

Now I know why "the powers that be" at the DC FRZ airports require an additional propeller lock when parking your plane there.

An informative aviation related (3 min.) video from the Lock Picking Lawyer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeFevEGoPF0

I do wish these switch manufacturers would put a little more effort into the security aspect of their products.
 
I don't treat the ignition keyswitch as a *security* device, but rather a *safety* interlock. Without the key in, the starter is taken completely out of the circuit and the mags are grounded, on my aircraft.

'Sides, if someone is smart enough to have a skeleton key for most aircraft ignition switches, they probably have a pair of bolt cutters for a prop lock.
 
Back in the day, Cessna only had about 1/2 dozen different keys for all the singles coming down the line. I assume the other manufacturers were the same.

My craftsman tool box key works in quite a few different airplanes I've tried over the years...
 
Back in the day, Cessna only had about 1/2 dozen different keys for all the singles coming down the line. I assume the other manufacturers were the same.
My craftsman tool box key works in quite a few different airplanes I've tried over the years...

Heck, I remember when cars were like that. I have started Cadillacs with my 1941 Chevy key.

OOPS, Did I just give away my age?
 
JD

Slight drift.. but if you have a key for a John Deere tractor then you have a key to all of them.
 
Same here. For a long time I was a member of a Club that gave out keys to the club's planes. As planes came and went, I acquired a ring of keys in my glove compartment that will open nearly any airplane on the field.
 
Slight thread drift -
Walking around the recent Copperstate fly-in, I noticed a surprising number of aircraft (including RV's) parked with the keys still in the ignition.
Hmmmmm.... isn't this practice discouraged from early on in flight training? Not to mention when parked on a public ramp with many passers by?
 
Slight thread drift -
Walking around the recent Copperstate fly-in, I noticed a surprising number of aircraft (including RV's) parked with the keys still in the ignition.
Hmmmmm.... isn't this practice discouraged from early on in flight training? Not to mention when parked on a public ramp with many passers by?

Good point, I have a red tag on mine and a shutdown checklist note to remove key, makes sure the mags are grounded when parked.
Figs
 
I had no key as I have seen on many planes. I used two mag switches on the panel and then I had a "secret" switch hidden out of view. No one stole the plane.:)
 
I agree the key is just a safety feature not a security devise. After all there are no military aircraft built that utilize an ignition key!
 
Did you know that there exists a universal ignition key (ch751) for those keyed switches we use for ignition and starting the engine?

Now I know why "the powers that be" at the DC FRZ airports require an additional propeller lock when parking your plane there.

An informative aviation related (3 min.) video from the Lock Picking Lawyer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeFevEGoPF0

I do wish these switch manufacturers would put a little more effort into the security aspect of their products.

So the question to you, Alfio... Do you have a CH751 key?:p

I abhor key switches, more for the false sense of security they provide and the high risk of dangerous failure they provide than anything else.
 
I don’t trust the general security of keys after I accidentally received master keys twice. First was an apartment complex in college. The neighbor was shocked when she locked herself out and asked if I could help. Second was my cockpit key. Worked on every airline cockpit door I tried when jump seating (pre-9/11). Even non-Boeing. Never figured out why.
 
Now I know why "the powers that be" at the DC FRZ airports require an additional propeller lock when parking your plane there.

I've been in all the GA FRZ airports since the FRZ was established and I've never seen a propeller lock. Too lazy to check if that's an actual rule... but if it is, there's no enforcement happening.
 
I agree the key is just a safety feature not a security devise [sic] .

A key is a safety device but not the kind that you're thinking. The real reason to have a key is so when a couple of moronic teenagers come wandering around, break into your airplane, start pushing buttons, etc., it's less likely that they'll engage the starter motor, swing the prop, hit and kill another of their equally moronic friends. Whose parents will then sue you for having an attractive nuisance. The poster who has a hidden "kill" switch has the right idea.
Sad world we live in, sometimes.
 
What lesson can we draw from this?

In the FRZ, the powers that be would prefer the moronic friend was clubbed with a prop lock chain instead of a mere blade. Got it. ;)
 
I abhor key switches, more for the false sense of security they provide and the high risk of dangerous failure they provide than anything else.

I hate the distraction of the key-fob flopping around in circles as I do aerobatics. And without a fob, i'd just lose the key anyway (or i'd drop it and it would fall down into some crevice that i'd have to disassemble to retrieve it).

I replaced the keyswitch with toggles, and when I re-do the panel i'll add a hidden interlock as well.
 
Back
Top