"Don Hammer" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 3 May 2005 17:32:05 -0700, "Martin"
wrote:

I need to design a device to help "cushion" the engagement of my starter.

GE has built many thousands of these engines and I can assure you if
there was an in-service problem they would have taken care of it. One
person thinks there is a problem and pretty soon everyone thinks there
is. It's probably nothing more than a rumor from a Viet Nam era
helicopter mechanic.

The other thing to consider is how often will you use the starter?
Most industrial users fire them up and leave them running. That's a
bunch different than the Army uses UH-1 helicopters.

Best source of accurate information is your Local GE engine rep for
that engine. Give them the part numbers and mod status and they'll
give you all the great free advise you need. I don't have the main
number with me, but Goggle and you can at least find someone that can
get your reps number and then call him.

In other words, don't try and fix a problem that probably isn't. BTW
- most turbine electric starters will momentarily peak at over 1000
amps when you hit the button. Check your car starter, it'll surprise
you.



That's good advice.

One person thinks there is a problem and pretty soon everyone thinks there
is. It's probably nothing more than a rumor from a Viet Nam era
helicopter mechanic.
So his starter likely had a problem or was not 'up to standards' and instead
of correcting the problem it was 'jury-rigged' with this "soft start" thing.

The other thing to consider is how often will you use the starter?
I'll likely be using the starter much more often than the original helo
aircrew did. Reliability is important to me, so I want to 'get this right'.

I'll get the manual for my starter and ensure it's 'up to par'. And I will
contact GE regarding that unit. They'll know more about the common failures
and should be able to guide me. That's great advice.

Thanks!
Martin