- Joined
- Jul 4, 2020
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OK in 45 years of flying and instructing I have always shut the engine or engines down by selecting the mixture to idle cut off.
I appreciate it is best to deprive the cylinders of fuel.
However when you have a hot engine and stop at the pumps in a plane like a Piper Archer it can be really hard to start it again. Without priming it the prop turns, it fires once but does not catch. Then it is hard to get the prime right and often involves a lot of cranking.
So only in the case where you stop the engine for a few minutes such as when changing a passenger or refuelling, is there a good reason why you should not stop the engine by turning off the ignition? So when you come to start the engine again it has the right amount of fuel in the cylinders to fire right up and start more easily. I have never tried it, just theorising.
I appreciate it is best to deprive the cylinders of fuel.
However when you have a hot engine and stop at the pumps in a plane like a Piper Archer it can be really hard to start it again. Without priming it the prop turns, it fires once but does not catch. Then it is hard to get the prime right and often involves a lot of cranking.
So only in the case where you stop the engine for a few minutes such as when changing a passenger or refuelling, is there a good reason why you should not stop the engine by turning off the ignition? So when you come to start the engine again it has the right amount of fuel in the cylinders to fire right up and start more easily. I have never tried it, just theorising.
