enginehistory.org

[pdrews]

I came across an article on the web about a restoration of a Stearman YPT-9 Cloud Boy. A portion of the article concerned itself with hand cranking the 215 hp Lycoming radial. It said that the pilot cranked up the inertial starter, strolled back to the cockpit, engaged the flywheel and started his engine. Is it possible that this ability to start your own airplane without electric starters was the impetus for the developement of the inertial starter?
Another article in the Commemorative Air Force's magazine "The Dispatch" was a comparison between Stearman PT13/17 and Fairchild PT19/22s. It stated that starting the in-line Ranger with its direct cranking hand starter only required an easy 3 or 4 turns while the inertial starter on the Stearmans Continental was "laborious". Obviously starting the Ranger would require two people (I hope) but other than that, direct cranking seems a simpler way to go. Any thoughts?

[jschauer]

From my experience, when I was in my late teens I could hand crank a Stearman about three times before I ran out of gas. Ten years later I could crank a BT-13 about 1 1/2 times before I ran out of gas. Now.... well, lets just use the battery..... I've seen photos of the Luftwaffe using two men to hand crank a Bf-109 (direct crank), but never anyone hand crank a Fairchild. The Fairchilds I messed around with we would hand prop it.