Microlighters

Hi,

there's been quite a bit of discussion on the forum on electric starters lately. I thought I would put the options into one thread to discuss pros, cons and prices. Fact is that 503s are usually found in older aircraft with low or nil resale value so 'economical' takes a completely new dimension in relation to the total value. Frankly, it hurts when we're talking about 10-15% of the aircraft's value. Also, an electric starter is not a crucial piece of equipment, but it is convenient and makes single-handed start-up safer.

So, the options I found so far:

1. E type gearbox with electric starter.
- second hand units are not that common and a new one is prohibitively expensive

2. Original Rotax magneto-side starter as mentioned in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14565.
- no pull-start

3. GPL Engineering (after-market) starter kit, like this one: http://www.recreationalmobility.com/pro ... ucts_id=38.
- mixed reviews on the net
- it is possible to retain the pull-start
- not exactly cheap, even if one gets cheap shipping rates

4. Simonini (after-market) starter for Rotax 503: http://www.simonini-flying.com/avviatore_a36_eng.htm.
- the pull-start is retained
- best price (provided the web site is up-to-date) - excl. shipping, although I happen to be near Modena next year and could put one or two into my bag

5. Locally made as discussed here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=12990.
- no pull-start
- nice project, but, unfortunately, doesn't seem to work out any cheaper than the other after-market products

Any comments, ideas, pros/cons on the individual solutions?

Cheers,

V.

I would definitely retain the pull start. Prop flinging, while glamorous, could be detrimental to your fingers. And it is usually a two man job. And you will end up doing it...

Biggles wrote:I would definitely retain the pull start. Prop flinging, while glamorous, could be detrimental to your fingers. And it is usually a two man job. And you will end up doing it...

Yes, I agree. It's bad enough to strap a pax into my Windlass, pull-start and then climbing in. My passenger-brief always includes what to do to shut down the engine and I brief myself what to do in case of a runaway aircraft (step away from the prop quickly and grab the wing-tip). Luckily, have not had an incident ever. However, this is the exact reason why I wouldn't mind having electric start.

Prop-swinging is detrimental not just to the fingers and I prefer to stay away from it as much as possible. I'm even ultra-careful when swinging the prop to prime the engine and to check for excessive play during pre-flight. There are descriptions of pull-start-gone-bad cases in the accidents section of this forum and they are not pretty.

Of course, the option to re-start the engine in-flight isn't a bad one either. Theory says that in case of the engine failure one must fly the plane and not waste time with attempting to restart. I can think of some situations where a restart could be useful, though.

I think, the biggest motivation for the electric start is safety.

Cheers,

V.

Simonini no longer manufactures and sells the Rotax 503 electric starter

Cheers,

V.