Wildcat cartridge start

😉 Mike, that’s why I referred to it as cartridge not shot gun start! My only in-cockpit experience of this system was back in the 1960s when in Provost G-ASMC which was then still using this type of mechanism – quite impressive, it started first bang.

Tim

So where does all the lead shot go? 🙂

[ATTACH=CONFIG]230318[/ATTACH]

I always thought shotgun starters fed the explosion gases straight into the cylinders and cranked the engine thusly. Now I’ve learned that the expanding gases actually work on some sort of worm-gear arrangement that does the cranking. Live and learn.

Interesting that you found this, as there is an article on this Wildcat in the July EAA Warbirds magazine, infact it’s pictured on the cover.

Very interesting – thank you for the links.

Tim

It is the only restored radial-engined warbird flying today with a working cartridge/Coffman starter (used as the only means of starting).

The aircraft debuted at Airventure Oshkosh last summer, following completion. A long thread here with its progress over years up until its first flights and display at Oshkosh last summer in the final pages: http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=33045

Here’s a brilliant photo from its arrival at Oshkosh last summer: https://www.flickr.com/photos/brentc2/9427443929/sizes/h/

This article on the aircraft highlights some of the unique/authentic details of the restoration, including the Coffman starter: https://www.eaa.org/en/airventure/eaa-airventure-news-and-multimedia/eaa-airventure-news/eaa-airventure-oshkosh/2013-07-29-shotgun-starter-sets-the-tone-on-wildcat-restoration

Furthermore, it has been for sale at Courtesy (note a couple of the photos belong in the P-51 listing): http://www.courtesyaircraft.com/index.php/inventory/inventory/warbirds-fighters/item/n774fm-general-motors-fm-2