"Jim Macklin" wrote in message ...
: There are some old engines that did use battery power for
: the ignition and in those, the battery master must be on.
: But, in general aircraft built in the post WWII period have
: two independent magnetos and the battery is used for lights,
: starting and radios, etc. Some aircraft had one magneto and
: one coil/distributor [like a car], so the AFM/POH should be
: read. Also ignition operation should be checked on the
: ground as part of the pre or post-flight checklists.
:
:
:

How old are you talking, Jim? Any specifics? Engine, airframe?