First Engine Start
TLDR
- Completed first engine start
Details
Today was the day. I did the first engine start.
Preparation
In the morning I pulled the airplane out and did one more round of checking. Discovered a leak on the oil cooler, and tightened it slightly.
3 things I was particularly concerned before the start:
- The leak above - tightned
- Fuel pressure high - Sling said it’s fine
- Harness - not sure if any damage was done to the harness when power/ground got swapped on the Rotax fusebox during initial install
The 3 things above was either mitigated or nothing I could do about, so I decided to proceed.
Starting
Brian volunteered to stand next to the airplane to spot any issues. I made a short plan:
- Just confirm the engine actually starts
- Oil PSI should rise immediately
- Temp should rise
- Amp should be positve
- Fuel pressure monitor
Then I turned the key. The engine started almost right away with no hesitation! This feels so different from a Cessna’s Lycoming.
I lowered the RPM to 2000 and check oil, amp, fuel pressure. Fuel pressure rised to 47+ PSI, I think at some point it went up to 49, but eventually settled on 47 PSI. The rest looked good.
I shut down the engine after 3 minutes run. The first engine run was a success!
It’s a huge relief after 3 year’s of work. Now onwards to more tasks!
Obligatory first engine start video attached