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- Aug 21, 2010
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My Concorde had been through a couple of near-death experiences, so that probably took some time off its lifespan. After being down for 2 weeks for annual without being on the minder, starts were very sluggish. I managed to make a trip and it didn't leave me stranded, but as soon as I got home I knew it was time for replacement. At the same time, for the ~12 years I've had the plane the starter has always had some quirks. When we reviewed the logs and learned it had last been replaced in 1996, I decided that 25 years was enough service, and it was time to retire.
I replaced with the same Concorde RG-35AXC and the same E-Drive starter (though it comes with the Hartzell brand now instead of the Kelly it used to be).
Most of the time when something breaks and gets fixed, things just go back to how they were before they broke...but replacing a 25-year-old starter with a brand new one is a nice, very noticeable change! I got to do both a cold start and a hot start this afternoon, and both times that confident spin and quick ignition put a big smile on my face!
I hope I get to enjoy that easy starting behavior for a long time to come.
I replaced with the same Concorde RG-35AXC and the same E-Drive starter (though it comes with the Hartzell brand now instead of the Kelly it used to be).
Most of the time when something breaks and gets fixed, things just go back to how they were before they broke...but replacing a 25-year-old starter with a brand new one is a nice, very noticeable change! I got to do both a cold start and a hot start this afternoon, and both times that confident spin and quick ignition put a big smile on my face!
I hope I get to enjoy that easy starting behavior for a long time to come.
