Warbird Information Exchange

Cool pictures, Alan! (Also, do you know what is used instead of cordite today? )

dhfan,

There are civilian Canberras? (I knew that NASA or someone still had a couple, but didn't know there was any civilian planes.)

ZRX61,

Yes, I can see how that would be a little unpleasant...

Thanks,
Chaz

There was one at VNY for a while a few years back & that used the 3x8in cartridges.

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

Nothing like dragging up an old old thread.

This is me in the process of operating one of the above mentioned cartridge starter in 1983.
The starter is bolted to a DeHavilland Sea Venom WZ-895 that I restored to running and taxying condition
the year before.

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Steve Long
Ex RANFAA A-4 Maintenance & RAN Historic Flight
Supervisor Camden Museum of Aviation.

If I recall correctly a recent Wildcat restoration included a working shotgun starter system. I believe I saw it in a Warbird Digest issue recently?

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Always looking for P-51D parts.

Video of a Wildcat using the shotgun starter with original cartridges.

http://youtu.be/65qrzgbTTcQ

Around 1964 or 1965, my Dad took me to an open house at the Kentucky Air Guard facility in Louisville. They were flying RB-57A Canberras at the time. They started up a whole row of them simultaneously using cartridge starters. The smoke... the noise... what a spectacle! I'll never forget it.

About 15-ish years ago, I watched a fellow start up a beautiful glossy black de Havilland Venom at Denton Airport. It took four tries to get the engine to light off. Between each try, he had to thoroughly clean the chamber before inserting a fresh cartridge. It was a lot of work, but he finally got 'er going and flew 'er out of there.

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

In the early 70's we performed cart starts on the 2 B-57's at RADC, Griffiss Afb. Later at MacDill Afb (75?) we once started an entire wing of F4E's with carts. Killed most of the mosquitos in Hillsborough County!

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The real JR