Run Systems off APU?

Yeah, maybe in game this is something you do.

However, that would not be real-world procedures ( though things have may have changed since I was in). 18's only have ready status on the boat like the ready 5's and such. They just sit back there on the tail ready to go as far as walkarounds and flight checks. They have no power on them. They don't need coms. The Air boss is pretty loud and everyone will know if there is an alert. And all the flight deck crew running around him telling him to get ready will be pretty obvious too ;)

 

But like I said maybe all that has changed since I was in

It is a real-world procedure and has been for ages - but likely not done in USN/USMC service. It is done regularly in certain non-US services. When operating airplanes from land bases and relying on associated infrastructure and immediate C2 that is in varying degrees remote, there are lots of advantages that are not difficult to imagine in powering up the airplane without having to start the engines.

Not that any of it would really make much sense in current simulation status, but anyway! :)

It is a real-world procedure and has been for ages - but likely not done in USN/USMC service. It is done regularly in certain non-US services. When operating airplanes from land bases and relying on associated infrastructure and immediate C2 that is in varying degrees remote, there are lots of advantages that are not difficult to imagine in powering up the airplane without having to start the engines.

 

 

Not that any of it would really make much sense in current simulation status, but anyway! :)

Oh ya, the OTHER 18's. I keep forgetting about those guys. :P

Yeah, wouldn't know much about foreign Airforces SOP. :joystick:

And definitely not in the USN, but maybe the jarheads, they use'em on the shore more.

I’d just like to be able to use the radio instead of discord when I’m stuck doing QRA!

I’d just like to be able to use the radio instead of discord when I’m stuck doing QRA!

Any reason you're not on ground power?

That’s my question, I don’t know how to get on it....

Just copied this from the post linked earlier:

With external electrical power -

1. EXT PWR switch - RESET

2. GND PWR switches 1, 2, and 4 - B ON (hold for 3 seconds)

3. L® DDI, HI/MPCD, and HUD - ON

4. COMM 1, 2, and ADF - AS DESIRED

5. Warning and caution lights - TEST

6. Inertial navigation system - ENTER WAYPOINTS DESIRED

.. GND PWR switches 1, 2, and 4 - B ON (hold for 3 seconds)

..

"hold for 3 seconds", or nothing happens, I had tested before and nothing happened indeed :)

Using ground power to be able to use UFC (no engine running)

This question came up for me just because I would like to be able to ask tower for startup - with a lot of other models they do have a backup radio using just the BATT ON - not so with the F18-----

So thanks to ZYLL (and whever also found that solution) for showing this procedure !!!:thumbup:

Great community :pilotfly:

Also, if you guys are wanting to simulate RL, turning on power just using battery was a big no NO. You could get your ass chewed out pretty quick if you wore down the batteries and they were known for doing that.

This, you don't have long before you're below starting voltage. Some newer jets even have the battery switch on a relay to auto-turn the switch off on deck without any other power source/APU online to keep the battery from draining.

It still surprises me, that if you loose a engine in flight, you are in all kinds of trouble. I Always thought the hole point of 2 engines, was to fly "normal" on one engine. It even have an apu that can not drive electric power. Is it the same way with the super hornet ?

Also, if you guys are wanting to simulate RL, turning on power just using battery was a big no NO. You could get your ass chewed out pretty quick if you wore down the batteries and they were known for doing that.

Not sure what you mean there. Turning what power on? You do use battery power to start-up the APU and then the first engine shortly after that, right ? I any case, the battery will auto-shutdown after 5 minutes if there is no other power on the aircraft.

The OP did make a point but didn't mention it, getting power up faster to turn on the navigation alignment stuff in airplanes such as A-10C is a thing, so you can takeoff faster, it is therefore a military/gameplay advantage and it could mean something if things go by a hair amount. The manual it self mentions enabling CDU and EGI ASAP, but A-10C APU is so cool as we know, it generates limited electrical power to the avionics, so you can power key systems off that.

The F/A-18 can be started using an external air source like a Huffer cart or dedicated air and electrical station like in Fallon. The connection for air start is in the right MLG wheel well next to the hydraulic filter bowls on the aft bulkhead. We used it when we had problems that needed troubleshooting with the APU, not just in the hush house. We almost never used this feature though as our APU's were very reliable.

 

As for GMM, it was mechanically coupled by hand by the ground crew and could not be used for starting the aircraft when it was coupled to the AMAD. The APU would have to be shut down and recoupled to start the engine before starting up for flight. It was rarely done because we could just do an engine ground turn and have all the systems we needed anyway... We needed a turn qualified sailor or pilot in the seat for either an APU turn or a engine turn either way.

Still there's always and advantage with backup, secondary and failsafe systems, even if the primary systems seems so reliable that it doesn't need anything else, in battle when a key moment is at the hand it can be a big big deal as the designers probably foresaw, they put those backup tricks there for a good reason :thumbup:

It is a real-world procedure and has been for ages - but likely not done in USN/USMC service. It is done regularly in certain non-US services. When operating airplanes from land bases and relying on associated infrastructure and immediate C2 that is in varying degrees remote, there are lots of advantages that are not difficult to imagine in powering up the airplane without having to start the engines.

 

 

Not that any of it would really make much sense in current simulation status, but anyway! :)

During my time in 146 (98-02) and 154 (05-07) during workups on our nights for alert 7 we had electrical power on the jet with a sens cable and pilot in the seat so when the inevitable alert came all he had to do was start engines and go.