On Thu, 01 Jun 2006 20:10:59 GMT, Ricardo
wrote:



Steven P. McNicoll wrote:
Greasy Rider @ invalid.com wrote in message
...

The F-100 had an interesting ground starting option, a large chamber
that received a large gas generating cartridge. When ignited by
electrical current, the expanding gas from the black powder-like
pyrotechnic cartridge drove a starter turbine which brought the engine
up to a self-sustaining rpm via a drive system. This eliminated the
need for heavy and bulky ground starting units, but the starter
cartridge spewed out a characteristic dense cloud of choking black
smoke, which was often mistaken by inexperienced ground crews for an
engine fire.

Good story. Cartridge starts were not an F-100 exclusive.


No, they were also used on the licence built English Electric Canberra -
Martin B57 - and the smoke generated, very dense and very black, was
amazing - enough to put the fear of God into you, if you'd never seen it
before.

Ricardo

And we used them exclusively at Korat during my F-105 tour for every
start, every day. We also used them on nuke alert for the F-4. Lots of
airplanes had cart start capability.

But, gotta give credit to the Hun driver for some fast thinking,
creative fun and leaving those transient alert types with something to
think about. (Seriously though, I've got to figure that anyone who was
allowed on the TA ramp to fuel, turn and launch jets would have been
hard to fool. Makes a good story though.)

Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
www.thunderchief.org
www.thundertales.blogspot.com