| Engine
Start |
| A
few minutes before the crew was ready to start the engines,
they went through their STARTING ENGINES checklist. One minute
before starting engines, the crew lowered and locked their Bailer
Bars to start the flow of 100 percent oxygen to begin the denitrification
of their bodies. As the pilot turned on the retractable anti-collision
lights, the bright red lights swirled around the hanger walls,
signaling everyone the start of engines in one minute. Like
a dragster revving up at the starting line, you could hear the
souped-up "Buicks" idling rough as their exhaust echoed
throughout the hanger. |
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When
the pilot was ready for engine start he queried the crew chief over
the interphone, "Intakes and exhaust clear, fire guard posted,
chocks installed?" After the crew chief replied the pilot called
out, "I'll take rotation." At that point the crew chief
signaled back under the wing to his assistants to open full throttle
on the "Buicks." Their exhaust noise was deafening, but
to a Habu, it was sweet music. At the first sign of engine rotation
on the RPM gauge, the pilot brought the throttle out of cutoff to
idle position. As the J-58 rotated faster and faster, the TEB ignited
the fuel and the engine was started. The pilot then called out "disconnect
rotation", when he saw 3200 RPM on the gauge.
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What
are "Buicks?"
|
Starting
the engines was accomplished by a direct mechanical drive to
initiate engine rotation. The large starting cart used to turn
the engine over was called a "Buick" because it originally
had two large Buick V-8 engines, mounted beside each other,
providing over 600 horsepower to rotate the J-58 engine. When
Buick engine parts became scarce, maintenance converted over
to using large block Chevrolet V-8 engines. The "Buick"
engines didn't have mufflers, just 16 straight pipes coming
off of the exhaust manifold. Through a series of gears, the
two "Buicks" drove a vertical shaft, extending upward
and connecting directly to the bottom of the J-58 engine. |
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| After
waiting two minutes for the hydraulic fluid to thoroughly circulate
throughout the aircraft, a flight control check was made by the pilot
and verified by the crewchief, watching for the rudders and elevons
to move appropriately. After the single hydraulic system checked satisfactorily,
the second engine was started in the same manner. |
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Return to Sortie
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| ©
Copyright
Richard Graham |
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