I've been reading some posting from some people who seem to be having some problems starting the Mustang.
I thought I'd offer a few pointers on this, as the procedure differs even in the various Dash 1's for the airplane written at various times during the period the Mustang was in use throughout the world.
During the years I operated this airplane I observed several different methods being used by various pilots flying the Mustang when starting the airplane. My preferred method follows. Keep in mind that our airplane was never operated in severe cold conditions. Also we didn't use an APU for starting.
Basically, I would follow the suggested checklist with the exception that where noted in some Dash 1's I withheld placing the Mag switch to BOTH before engaging the starter. I'd give it a few seconds prime (VERY sensitive electric primer in this airplane) then engage the starter. This allowed the starter to rotate the prop distributing oil on up through the engine from the lower case and into the oil holes. After around 6 blades passing TDC using the nose as my visual cue I would flip the Mags on over to BOTH. This completed the ignition sequence with the right amount of prime at the cylinders.
The engine started at that point. Throttle position is very important in the Mustang as it controls the spark advance. One inch was fine.
The actual start could be solid and smooth or a bit sporadic and uneven. This is a critical moment in the start. If the start was not smooth I'd give it a short shot of prime as I went into RUN with the mixture. It's right here you need to be very gentle with the throttle. You DON'T want the engine to start into an RPM more than around 1200. The absolute worst thing you can do to an aircraft engine of ANY kind is to allow a high RPM start. That races the engine before the oil has had the chance to do it's good work and can over time cause a shorter TBO. This can get REAL expensive with a Merlin !
Just go easy on the throttle and caress the power into a smooth idle letting the pressure come off the pin within 30 seconds (or shut down immediately if it doesn't)
Basically that's about it. It isn't rocket science for sure but starting the Merlin DOES require some degree of finesse and coordination to do it right.
A2A has the engine physics on the Merlin very finely tuned and things more or less have to be close to being right for you to get a good solid start on the Mustang. You need to be careful with the primer, and the throttle use.
Just take your time, get used to doing things right, and I think you'll be satisfied with your Mustang starts.
BTW, you'll notice that the oil pressure can be high after you start the Mustang. The oil is still a bit thick in there. This isn't a critical issue for the Merlin but I always liked to get that pressure down a bit before applying take off power.
It's perfectly ok to dilute the oil a bit using the oil dilution switch while taxiing out to take off to lower that oil pressure, but don't forget to turn it off during your pre-takeoff runup.
Hope this helps getting everybody "started"
Dudley Henriques
