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Electra
VH-ECA with the Gas Turbine Start Unit (GTSU) connected to the aft
pneumatic receptacle.
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TRANS-AUSTRALIA
AIRLINES
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Electra
VH-TLC with the low pressue bottle connected to the forward pneumatic
receptacle.
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Just
to prove the exception to the rule, here is TAA's Electra VH-TLB at
Hobart with a two bottle start cart connected to the aft pneumatic
receptacle. It is speculated that this unit might have been borrowed
from Ansett.
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ANSETT | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Electra
VH-RMB with the twin bottle
cart connected to the forward pneumatic receptacle.
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Australia's
first turbo-prop airliners, the Dart powered Vickers Viscount and Fokker
F27 Friendship, were started electrically with power supplied by a Ground
Power Unit (GPU) but the Lockheed 188 Electra required compressed air
for engine starting. For this purpose, the L-188A Electras delivered
to Trans-Australia Airlines and Ansett-ANA came equipped with four on-board
high pressure air bottles, two of which were located in each inboard
engine nacelle. These bottles could be charged in flight but with a
performance penalty. TAA later removed the on-board bottles but Ansett
retained them until their Electras were converted to freighters in 1972.
The Electra
also required a 90kVA Ground Power Unit (GPU) which was connected to
a receptacle near the nose to supply electrical power until the engine
driven generators came online. None of the Australian Electras were
fitted with an on-board Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) although some were
later retrofitted by subsequent operators.
The author
thanks the following for their assistance with this article:
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