Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net>
To: lml@lancaironline.net
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 12:50:31 -0500
Message-ID: <redirect-960803@logan.com>
Received-SPF: none
 receiver=logan.com; client-ip=66.103.244.5; envelope-from=lorn@dynacomm.ws
Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v746.2)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
From: Lorn H Olsen <lorn@dynacomm.ws>
Subject: Starter Problem

I went to Florida last weekend. It was a 5 hour flight. I landed at  
Titusville at 2100 hrs just as the tower controller was going home. I  
asked him if he knew where I could rent a car. He said to go part  
under the Chevron sign. After I parked and looked around, I saw that  
everything was closed except for a helicopter school about 1,000 ft  
south. The school was very helpful and said to call the hotel and  
tell them I was there for HEI training. That was great it saved me  
1/3 of the hotel bill.

The plane was parked quite a ways away so I decided to taxi it over  
to the school. When I tried to start the plane it backfired once and  
again before it started. It almost felt like the starter disengaged  
early. It just didn't feel right so I grounded the plane until I  
could look under the hood. Sure enough, the one starter bolt had  
fallen off and the other 3 nuts were loose.

The school gave me the bolt and new lock washers. They happened to  
use O-320 engines. I always carry Lock-Tite. I think the nuts and  
bolts should stay on longer this time. From now on I will check them  
at the annual. The starter, a Sky-Tec, was put on new in about 2000  
and, I'm sure, was taken off in a tear-down in 04/2003.
--
Lorn H. 'Feathers' Olsen, MAA, DynaComm, Corp.
248-345-0500, mailto:lorn@dynacomm.ws
LNC2, O-320-D1F, 1,100 hrs, N31161, Y47, SE Michigan