Glenn,

Welcome to BT.
I was never willing to taxi with the left engine running and the doors open.

Tim

Glenn,

Welcome to BT.
I was never willing to taxi with the left engine running and the doors open.

Tim

Hi Tim,

Please say your NOT hand propping a 3 blade prop... I've BTWT (been there watched that) result and it wasn't pretty. My friend still has his hand and arm but oh my....
2 blade low compression I'm with you.

I have watched hand someone prop an old plane. Never did it, or actually had mutch interest in it.
As for the door, I had working A/C which did a nice job, so I rarely needed to taxi with a door open. Therefore, the additional risk was never worth it for me.

Tim

I just can't see myself trusting the seat belt that much. I used to taxi with the top door open and never thought anything of it. I caught plenty of critique over it from the same crowd who knew how dangerous the airplane was and how bad the fuel system is and who've never flown one. The procedure for taxiing door open was simple: EVERYTHING stays inside.

I've had to prop off my 210; not one of my favorite things to do nor that difficult with the mass of that big prop. You must have someone at the brakes and throttle who knows what they are doing.

Glenn,

I learned to hand prop an Aeronca Champ at age eleven and owned a 100 hp Cub without electrics for 15 years. I'm not going to do that anymore simply because I can afford to avoid the risk.

I have A/C but have idled, while warming the engines, with the top clam open on really hot days. The most obvious, but not the best, reason to not taxi with either or both open is simply debris in the cabin; sand, grit, and trash.

The less "obvious" reason is cabin protocol. The A* is likely the highest workload piston twin you can find, particularly the pressurized versions. SOP is to close up and verify, doors and belts. After "all these years" and the experience of making mistakes, the only inadvertent experiences I have had with airplanes is because something or someone broke the train of SOP. I lost a canopy on a new Pitts once, put a tow bar into the prop of a Skylane once, left a baggage door open twice, left items on a wing to be blown away once, tried to taxi with the tail tied down once, and forgot to remove chocks three times. In almost every case, my SOP was interrupted.

I suppose in 56 years of flying, that's not bad.

What I have learned is to stick to a walk around and pre-takeoff protocol that does not allow taxi with the doors open.


Just saying.

Jgreen

How effective is the air conditioning for the Aerostar? Why is there a need or desire to open the door when you are on the ground exposing you to the potential hazard of the propeller?[/quote]


There are different levels of air conditioning available. If you have the engine-driven compressor option, and your system is maintained, it will keep you plenty cool even on a boing hot day. I am a chicken about door-open-while-engine-running ops, so I just keep the a/c up to snuff.

Confession Time:

I don't leave the chalks until the door is secure, But I often taxi in with the door open because it is just so $&@# cool.

Having the prop whizzing by a foot from my elbow just adds to the I'm just that cool factor.




Back to the regular interchange of practical advantages offered by the Aerostar......

Seriously..... even if Aerostars weren't the best, they'd still be the coolest!

I am reminded of the loss of aviation great Zip Franklin. I believe it may have been a door issue in his A* coming out of Ruidoso, NM. He often hosted us graciously in Lovington when Jimmy was still a kid. Now Kyle carries on the legend.
I think Aerostars are a bit like Harleys and Corvettes. Many among us carry a secret desire to own one, and, (arguably), admire those that do.
TN

The A/C on my A* is electric and "effective enough". The problem I have is that with my 70 amp alternators, I have to "idle" at 1500 to keep from getting a discharge. A short term discharge is not a problem except that I have those damn Aspens. If the voltage falls below a certain amount, can't remember what , for a certain time, can't remember that either, , they go to battery power and won't come back up without being shut down and restarted. Yea, all together, a major pain in the ass.

Please spare me all the solutions, I am fully versed. Not enough sugar for the nickel in my opinion.

Oh yea, I forgot an Aerostar tale related to this issue. My mechanic used to maintain an Aerostar for the gentleman that owned a big metal building manufacturing plant in Batesville. He kept his door open too. Didn't get it closed fully one day and after takeoff it came open. The pilot and passenger barely survived I am told. An open door on an A* is not the hangar tale you want to relate.


Jgreen

I have some Champ time, without an electrical system as well so I'm not afraid of hand propping the smaller engines but a 3-bladed 300HP veg-O-matic is just in a different class

I think a small block made to fit between the clam shells leaving a 3-4" gap would do the trick. You could attached it with a bungee cord through the door handle and down to somewhere under the seat.

I think Adam had a door open on him in flight.

Glenn

I have been hand propping a Tiger Moth for the last 40 years without an issue. Did it three times today.

With the Aerostar I have an electric A/C system which is not effective at all. I do not use it until I am airborne.

I taxi with the door open regularly and have been for the last 30 years. The top clam shell is either all the way up or fully closed and locked with confirmation that the pins are in. It is very difficult to do a run up with it open let alone take off with it open. The issue that has happened with the door coming open in flight is when it is closed but not locked.

Glenn

I have the engine AC but the old duct. When working well, which can be a battle, it cools 15 degrees maybe 20 but is nothing like the AC in my car. Nevertheless, I am scared to taxi with the door open an left engine running.

I have the door open, start the right engine, turn on the AC. Then I close the door and start the left. It still gets hot.

I would upgrade to the new duct but it is several thousand dollars. Reportedly the new duct moves more air and works better.

I almost killed myself and my pregnant wife when door came open on mine after takeoff. Not the airplanes fault, but my own as I hadn't latched it correctly. Long story and not something I want to dwell on, but I'm only here because the Aerostar is built tough and has a wing that tells you very clearly when it's about to stall.