Malaysian Aviation Ground Ops Guide

Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology
Ground Operation
Precautions:-
 To be taken to avoid safety hazard to ground

personnel, damage to aircraft and
equipment.
 All engine run ups to be conducted in an

area specially designated for that purpose.
Ground Operation
 Aircraft to be position on clean, level surface

area and aimed so the blast from propeller does
not blow dirt into any hangar or onto another
aircraft.
 Rather than relying solely on aircraft’s brakes,

choke the wheels securely or tie down the
aircraft to prevent movement during engine
power check.
Ground Operation
 Ground service equipment should be positioned
away from propeller arc with wheels choked and
brakes set.
 Adequate fire protection should be stationed nearby.
 Personnel and fire extinguisher must be clear of

propeller area.
 Reliable means of communication between engine

operator and ground personnel should be
established.
Hydraulic Lock
 Occurs on radial engine where oil or liquid accumulate

in lower cylinders or intake pipe after engine shutdown.
 Any attempt to start engine with hydraulic lock can

cause damage to piston, con-rod, valves or cylinder.
 Check for hydraulic lock before attempting to start a

radial engine that has shutdown for more than 30 mins.
 Ensure the ignition switches are ‘OFF’, pull the propeller

two revolution in the direction of rotation.
Eliminating Hydraulic Lock
 Any liquid present in the cylinder will gives abnormal

amount of effort required to rotate the propeller or could
not be turn at all.
 Removed either front or rear spark plug.
 Pull propeller through two complete revolution in direction

of rotation (DOR).
 Trapped oil will be expelled through the spark plug holes.

Eliminating Hydraulic Lock

 Do not turn propeller in the opposite DOR, this will
inject the liquid from cylinder into the intake pipe,
Increasing possibilities of complete or partial lock on
subsequent start.
PULLING PROPELLER IN
OPPOSITE
DOR WILL INJECT
TRAPPED OIL OR FUEL
INTO INTAKE PIPE
Engine Starting
 Is a specialized procedure and varies with individual
engine and aircraft.
 Be sure to study the procedures in the appropriate

aircraft flight manual and instruction from experienced
operator.
 General guidelines are the same:-

- Check engine fluids.
- Verify all engine control intact and operational.
Engine Starting
 Station extra personnel with fire extinguisher of

adequate capacity nearby in safe area.
 Always there is a possibility of fire when starting

an engine .
 With large aircraft have a look out men, fire

guard stationed near the engine.
Engine Starting
 Induction system fire is the most common

type of fire and it is due to over-primed of
an engine.
● If occurs, continue to crank the engine to

drawn back the fire into the cylinder.
● If fail/fire continue, signal fire guard to

extinguish the fire.
ENGINE CONTROL
 Throttle control.
 Propeller control.
 Mixture control.
 Carburetor heat control.

Starting Engine with Float-Type Carburetor.
 Place mixture to full rich position.
 Carburetor heat to cold or closed position.
 Prime engine as required.
 Open throttle about half inch.

Starting Engine with Float-Type Carburetor.
 Master switch to “ON”.
● Magneto switch “ON” position.
● Press the starter switch to crank the engine.
● When engine started, check for positive oil

pressure and adjust throttle to produce about
1,000 rpm.
Flooded Engine
 If engine flooded during start attempt, place mixture
control in the idle-cut off position.
 Place switch to “OFF” position.
 Open throttle all the way (fully open).
 Crank engine until fuel charge is cleared off from the

cylinder.
 Repeat normal start procedure.

Starting Engine with Fuel Injection.
 Placed mixture to full rich and throttle opened half inch.
 Master switch and fuel pump turned on until adequate

fuel flow is observed.
 This procedure required to prime engine.
 Once primed, fuel pump off, magneto switches on and

starter engaged, engine starts, check oil pressure.
Engine Warm - Up
 Proper engine warm-up is important.
 To ensure maximum engine stability, engine is set at

speed between 800-1,000 rpm.
 Observed engine instrument during warm-up to ensure

normal operation.
 Oil pressure should indicate pressure within 30 sec.
 If not shut down engine immediately.

Magneto Safety Check

Purpose:-
 Is to check all ignition connections are secured and

ignition system will permit operation at higher power
setting.
 Accomplished at idle power setting with propeller at high

rpm, low pitch position.
 Move ignition from “both” to “left” and observed rpm drop,

switch back to “both”.
Magneto Safety Check

 Move ignition switch from “both” to “right” observed
rpm drop, switch back to “both”.
 Moves ignition switch from ‘both’ to ‘off’, engine should

cut-off.
 Before engine cut-off completely, switch back to ‘both’

to keep engine running.
 If there is any abnormality during the magneto safety

check, do not increase power setting until the
abnormalities has been corrected.
Ground Check
 Ground check is performed to verify the operation of

the powerplant and accessory equipment.
 Check typically require to properly interpret instrument

reading based on established performance criteria.
 Ground check items are included in preflight run-up

checklist.
TYPICAL CHECK ITEMS REF. TEXT BOOK PAGE 2-15.

Operating Flexibility
 Is the ability of an engine to run smoothly and give
desired performance at all speed from idle to full
power output.
 Typically this check include the following:-
- Ignition operation.
- Power check.
- Idle speed and mixture.
- Acceleration and deceleration.
- Engine stopping.
Ignition Operation
 Comparing rpm drop to a known standard to check for
faults in ignition system.
 Rapid drop of rpm when switch to one magneto indicate

spark plug or ignition harness faulty.
 Faulty spark plugs or defective harness give dead

cylinder or intermittent firing.
 Slow rpm drop indicate incorrect ignition timing or faulty

valve adjustment.
Ignition Operation
 Completely quits firing indicate dead magneto.
 No rpm drops indicate magneto ground

connection faulty.
 Excessive rpm differences between

magnetos indicate difference in magneto
synchronization.
Power Check
 Purpose is to measure an engine’s performance against

an established standard determined by manufacturer.
 This represent the amount of power an engine can

develop at a given RPM and MAP.
 With a constant air density, a given propeller blade

angle always require the same rpm to absorb the same
horse power from the engine.
Idle Speed & Mixture
 During long idle operation, pilot tends to set mixture to

excessive rich mixture to aid in cylinder cooling.
 This will cause carbon on spark plugs to buildup and

foul up.
 Possible long period of idle rpm operation with a

properly adjusted idle mixture setting result in minimal
plug fouling and exhaust smoke.
 To perform a mixture check, close throttle.

Idle Speed & Mixture

 Idle mixture to idle cut off position.
 Before the rpm drop dramatically it should

raised by the amount stated by the
manufacturer (usually 20 rpm).
 Less than recommended means lean mixture.
 Above recommended means to rich.

Acceleration & Deceleration Check
 Aircraft engine must be capable to accelerating

and decelerating.
 Perform acceleration check by moving the

throttle from idle to full power smoothly and
rapidly.
 Engine should accelerate without hesitation

and with no evidence of engine back firing.
Acceleration & Deceleration Check
 Deceleration check by moving throttle from full

power to idle.
 The engine should decrease evenly with little or

no tendency for the engine to afterfire.
 Both this check may reveal some bordering

condition due to pressure develop during check that
add strain on ignition system and fuel metering and
point out certain defects normally go unnoticed.
Engine Stopping
 Procedure varies between different engine.
 As a rule most engine shut down carried out

by placing the mixture control to “idle cut-off”.
 This to ensure complete burned off of residual

fuel in cylinder and induction system thus
minimized chance of accidental start.
Engine Stopping
 Then ignition switch off, all other switches off
and removed key.
 If engine is excessively warm during taxi,

allow the engine to idle for a short time before
shut it down.
 This will allow the engine to cool down to a

reasonable level prior to engine shut down.
Post Run Check
 Most important of all for any evidence of oil

leak.
 Check engine electrical cables for damage.
 Check propeller for any evidence of nick,

dent, ect.
 Check engine normal.

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Malaysian Institute of Aviation Technology

 To be taken to avoid safety hazard to ground

 All engine run ups to be conducted in an

 Aircraft to be position on clean, level surface

 Rather than relying solely on aircraft’s brakes,

 Adequate fire protection should be stationed nearby.

 Personnel and fire extinguisher must be clear of

 Reliable means of communication between engine

 Occurs on radial engine where oil or liquid accumulate

 Any attempt to start engine with hydraulic lock can

 Check for hydraulic lock before attempting to start a

 Ensure the ignition switches are ‘OFF’, pull the propeller

Eliminating Hydraulic Lock

 Any liquid present in the cylinder will gives abnormal

 Removed either front or rear spark plug.

 Pull propeller through two complete revolution in direction

 Trapped oil will be expelled through the spark plug holes.

Eliminating Hydraulic Lock

 Be sure to study the procedures in the appropriate

 General guidelines are the same:-

 Station extra personnel with fire extinguisher of

 Always there is a possibility of fire when starting

 With large aircraft have a look out men, fire

 Induction system fire is the most common

● If occurs, continue to crank the engine to

● If fail/fire continue, signal fire guard to

 Carburetor heat control.

Starting Engine with Float-Type Carburetor.

 Place mixture to full rich position.

 Carburetor heat to cold or closed position.

 Prime engine as required.

 Open throttle about half inch.

Starting Engine with Float-Type Carburetor.

 Master switch to “ON”.

● Magneto switch “ON” position.

● Press the starter switch to crank the engine.

● When engine started, check for positive oil

 Place switch to “OFF” position.

 Open throttle all the way (fully open).

 Crank engine until fuel charge is cleared off from the

 Repeat normal start procedure.

Starting Engine with Fuel Injection.

 Placed mixture to full rich and throttle opened half inch.

 Master switch and fuel pump turned on until adequate

 This procedure required to prime engine.

 Once primed, fuel pump off, magneto switches on and

 Proper engine warm-up is important.

 To ensure maximum engine stability, engine is set at

 Observed engine instrument during warm-up to ensure

 Oil pressure should indicate pressure within 30 sec.

 If not shut down engine immediately.

Magneto Safety Check

 Is to check all ignition connections are secured and

 Accomplished at idle power setting with propeller at high

 Move ignition from “both” to “left” and observed rpm drop,

Magneto Safety Check

 Moves ignition switch from ‘both’ to ‘off’, engine should

 Before engine cut-off completely, switch back to ‘both’

 If there is any abnormality during the magneto safety

 Ground check is performed to verify the operation of

 Check typically require to properly interpret instrument

 Ground check items are included in preflight run-up