Running engine for a short time

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Lawson Laslo

Pre-takeoff checklist
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is it bad to start a engine just to taxi it half a mile then shut it down?
Ex there’s a monthly pancake breakfast at my airport and I would want to taxi my airplane down to put it on display but I’m a student pilot so I would never fly it that day
Is that ok for the engine?
I’ve hear someone saying that you should run it for no less than a hour
By the way it’s a O-200
 
Running the engine without flying it,won’t get the oil warm enough to burn off the moisture ,in the engine.
 
If you are flying it regularly these occasional short taxi trips won't be a problem. If you are using them as a substitute for flying the plane regularly, they will be.
 
GRG55 said:
If you are flying it regularly these occasional short taxi trips won't be a problem. If you are using them as a substitute for flying the plane regularly, they will be.
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It will be flown at least 1 every week
 
It's bad for a plane to start and only run a few minutes then sit a year some say.....
Some will argue it isn't bad because you get oil circulated through the engine.....
Why don't you go eat pancakes then fly the rest of the day after you get your belly full.....
 
pigpenracing said:
It's bad for a plane to start and only run a few minutes then sit a year some say.....
Some will argue it isn't bad because you get oil circulated through the engine.....
Why don't you go eat pancakes then fly the rest of the day after you get your belly full.....
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I’m a student pilot so wouldn’t be able to fly on my own but I would fly with my friend who is a pilot sometimes
 
I'd be worried about a pancake that wasnt warmed up long enough :)

Can you get someone to tug it down there and back for you.There's a bonus to this, you can ride solo!
 
The problem arrises when someone thinks they can keep their hanger queen from rotting on the inside out by starting it a few times a year... take your pride and joy to the breakfast and show her off! :)

Its good you are concerned though! Im a newbie owner myself so Ive asked many of these type of questions! These folks on here are great about helping us shorten the learning curve of new ownership.
 
Lawson Laslo said:
is it bad to start a engine just to taxi it half a mile then shut it down?
Ex there’s a monthly pancake breakfast at my airport and I would want to taxi my airplane down to put it on display but I’m a student pilot so I would never fly it that day
Is that ok for the engine?
I’ve hear someone saying that you should run it for no less than a hour
By the way it’s a O-200
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Should not hurt it.
 
Running any engine on the ground should not hurt it. don't you warm your engine prior to flight?
 
I think the difference is if this short ground start/run is just the anomaly mixed with with regular flying, compared to the plane that never flys but only gets the short ground run.

A one time run to get to the display area, no biggie. Just do your normal preheat if cold soaked.
 
Are you supposed to be taxiing as a student without a solo endorsement? Sounds like an issue if you have a problem, get an endorsement from your CFI that you are ok to taxi solo.
 
go for it....it won't hurt to taxi across the ramp for pancakes. Just don't make a habit of short runs....your engine is designed to be flown not taxied.
 
PaulS said:
Are you supposed to be taxiing as a student without a solo endorsement? Sounds like an issue if you have a problem, get an endorsement from your CFI that you are ok to taxi solo.
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Well I better sign off my mechanic and all of his assistants because none of them have a student license or Pilot certificate and taxi my airplane (along with all the others they work on based at the field) to and from the maintenance hangar.

What regulation requires a person to be endorsed to Taxi?
 
If you taxi your airplane over to the pancake breakfast without flying it and warming it up properly, you are going to destroy your airplane, get cited by the FAA under 91.13 since you do not have an endorsement from your instructor, lose all your hair, your teeth will yellow, and you will suffer from erectile dysfunction.

On the other hand, down the hangar row from me is a Colonial Skimmer. Some time ago (1980's if I recall correctly), the owner quit flying it. But, every spring he would put the battery in, let it sit, then in the fall, run it on the ground, change the oil, and remove the battery. This went on until his nephew got involved - say 10 years ago. Since then, the original 1950's avionics have been replaced. The hydraulic system has been re-done from one end to the other (and, for a single engine aircraft, there are a lot of hydraulics on a Colonial Skimmer). The prop was replaced. The exhaust system was "repaired" from the flanges outward. But the engine has not been opened up.

One minutes, 7 seconds of your life that you will never get back:
 
Sinistar said:
I'd be worried about a pancake that wasnt warmed up long enough :)

Can you get someone to tug it down there and back for you.There's a bonus to this, you can ride solo!
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Any one can taxi a airplane as long as there is no intentions for flight
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
If you taxi your airplane over to the pancake breakfast without flying it and warming it up properly, you are going to destroy your airplane, get cited by the FAA under 91.13 since you do not have an endorsement from your instructor, lose all your hair, your teeth will yellow, and you will suffer from erectile dysfunction.

On the other hand, down the hangar row from me is a Colonial Skimmer. Some time ago (1980's if I recall correctly), the owner quit flying it. But, every spring he would put the battery in, let it sit, then in the fall, run it on the ground, change the oil, and remove the battery. This went on until his nephew got involved - say 10 years ago. Since then, the original 1950's avionics have been replaced. The hydraulic system has been re-done from one end to the other (and, for a single engine aircraft, there are a lot of hydraulics on a Colonial Skimmer). The prop was replaced. The exhaust system was "repaired" from the flanges outward. But the engine has not been opened up.

One minutes, 7 seconds of your life that you will never get back:
Click to expand...

Is that Skimmer another name for a Lake Amphibian?
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
If you taxi your airplane over to the pancake breakfast without flying it and warming it up properly, you are going to destroy your airplane, get cited by the FAA under 91.13 since you do not have an endorsement from your instructor, lose all your hair, your teeth will yellow, and you will suffer from erectile dysfunction.
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Glad somebody said it!
 
Eating pancakes, as with all student activities must be practiced to become a proper pilot.
Taxi down there and get some practice.


Congrats on the plane btw!
show 'er off!
 
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Since you do not intend to fly you can't log the time.

Do not let the engine rev up when you start it either time as the high speed cold engine is what causes the most damage.
 
Stewartb said:
Do you need a license to taxi a plane?
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To answer @Stewartb's question, the answer is no. I don't think the FAA cares if you do this.

Ask the owner and/or his insurance company if the insurance is valid when a non-pilot taxis the plane solo. As a minimum I bet the insurance company will require a CFI signoff.

-Skip
 
My CFI wouldn't let me taxi solo to the SS fuel pumps until he gave me the solo endorsement. Not sure if that was his rule, the school's or the insurance company's.
 
Many motorcycle engines have sight glasses to check the oil level. I find that if I do repeated short trips, particularly in cold weather, the oil at the surface is milky white in appearance indicating excessive condensation. A long ride, particularly in hot summer weather will burn that off and it will look normal again. As a general rule of thumb, it takes 30 minutes at normal operating temperature to burn the condensate off that is caused by starting.
 
C-1 PILOT said:
Is that Skimmer another name for a Lake Amphibian?
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Colonial Skimmer is the original version of what became the Lake Amphibian after the company was sold. (The design is for sale again - just in case you have a large fortune you want to convert into a small fortune.)
 
cgrab said:
Do not let the engine rev up when you start it either time as the high speed cold engine is what causes the most damage.
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Just to be pedantic, since this IS PoA. I'd say it causes the most "wear" instead of "damage".
 
EdFred said:
Well I better sign off my mechanic and all of his assistants because none of them have a student license or Pilot certificate and taxi my airplane (along with all the others they work on based at the field) to and from the maintenance hangar.

What regulation requires a person to be endorsed to Taxi?
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I don't know, that's why I asked the question. It seems to me there are few issues. First is it ok for someone without a certificate to taxi, then is it ok for them to taxi in a controlled environment, finally, if you run into a taxiway light with out a certificate will your insurance pay. Mechanics are another interesting question.
 
Go here, and if you don't want to listen to the whole thing, jump ahead to 3:35 or so:
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
If you taxi your airplane over to the pancake breakfast without flying it and warming it up properly, you are going to destroy your airplane, get cited by the FAA under 91.13 since you do not have an endorsement from your instructor, lose all your hair, your teeth will yellow, and you will suffer from erectile dysfunction.

On the other hand, down the hangar row from me is a Colonial Skimmer. Some time ago (1980's if I recall correctly), the owner quit flying it. But, every spring he would put the battery in, let it sit, then in the fall, run it on the ground, change the oil, and remove the battery. This went on until his nephew got involved - say 10 years ago. Since then, the original 1950's avionics have been replaced. The hydraulic system has been re-done from one end to the other (and, for a single engine aircraft, there are a lot of hydraulics on a Colonial Skimmer). The prop was replaced. The exhaust system was "repaired" from the flanges outward. But the engine has not been opened up.

One minutes, 7 seconds of your life that you will never get back:
Click to expand...

And I know what I would find in it if I opened it up. Been finding that sort of thing for too long. It's amazing how rotten an engine can get and still run.
 
PaulS said:
First is it ok for someone without a certificate to taxi, then is it ok for them to taxi in a controlled environment,
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This oversight actually falls under the airport regulations/policies. Along with the who, what, and where component.
PaulS said:
finally, if you run into a taxiway light with out a certificate will your insurance pay.
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This falls under the individual insurance policy.
PaulS said:
Mechanics are another interesting question.
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Most airport taxi policies consider mechanics as qualified to taxi to include active runways with the proper clearances. Most 135/121 operators have in-house taxi qualifications.
 
gdwindowpane said:
My CFI wouldn't let me taxi solo to the SS fuel pumps until he gave me the solo endorsement. Not sure if that was his rule, the school's or the insurance company's.
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I, too, wasn't allowed to taxi solo at all before my signoff (decades ago.) But we were at a busy class D, and could run into P&Gs Challengers if not careful.
 
I’ve never known anyone to taxi in to a fly in.
 
Lawson Laslo said:
is it bad to start a engine just to taxi it half a mile then shut it down?
Ex there’s a monthly pancake breakfast at my airport and I would want to taxi my airplane down to put it on display but I’m a student pilot so I would never fly it that day
Is that ok for the engine?
I’ve hear someone saying that you should run it for no less than a hour
By the way it’s a O-200
Click to expand...

For a monthly pancake? Sounds like much to do about nothing.

I’ve done the same thing for activities at my field, only thing you might want to consider is why not just go do 3 or 4 touch and goes first?
 
Skyrys62 said:
Eating pancakes, as with all student activities must be practiced to become a proper pilot.
Taxi down there and get some practice.


Congrats on the plane btw!
show 'er off!
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My phone isn’t worki to upload photos but if you look at my profile photo that is it
It is currently being resorted and be done in a month
 
I started my training at a relatively busy Delta. My CFI gave me a taxi endorsement after our first flight! I don't think he gave a rip about moving the plane around on the ramp. But he told me it gets real when I cross into the movement area. I guess I figured the taxi endorsement was to operate the plane within the movement areas.

At our uncontrolled airport I don't recall any movement area lines, so it seems you could taxi around the hangars onto the ramp and even onto taxiways and still not cross a non-movement area lines. I would definitely stay off the runways though without a solo endorsement or better.
 
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