Electronic Engine Control Test Switches

[sLYFa]

Does anybody know if the EEC test switches on the bottom of the central panel are functional? I´ve read theough the russian manual but it doest mention them at all.

AFAIK, in the Black shark the "CT-1/CT-2" is used to check the turbine overspeed warning, while the "TK" switch is used to check the engine power limiter.

While both switches work in the Ka-50, turning them on in the Mi-8 apparently does nothing...

[Strekaya]

They seem to work the same as they do in the Ka-50. Switching to the CT-1/2 channels over 90% engine RPM causes the N2 high light on the pilot's panel to light up. As for the TK switch, unlike the Ka-50 there's no lights in the Mi-8 to indicate the engine is at max gas-generator RPM (well, except the contingency power lights right under the N2 lights, so it is near it). It's really hard to do that test on the ground without taking off, so I ended up setting the ECL of the one engine to idle, the engine for the test to max, and then increased the collective until the contingency light went on. Holding the TK switch to that engine caused the contingency light to go off. All I can really say about that is that the TK test switch definitely does something, but I really don't know what the procedure to test that (what to look for) for the Mi-8.

 

Also, the other test in the EEG section of the Ka-50 manual, where you rapidly flip from CT-1 to CT-2 shuts the engine down in both helicopters . (ref. Sections 6-86 and 9-14 of the English Ka-50 manual).

 

Hope that was somewhat helpful, I honestly don't know if it was. When the Mi-8 manual comes out, hopefully it answers all of these questions.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Strekaya

[sLYFa]

Thanks for the reply, I never actually used the switches with the engines under load, only when idle on the ground. In a real-word mi-8 startup video I´ve seen I noticed the flight engineer turning on the "equipment check" switch bevor starting the engine, then flipping some other switches outside of the camera field of view, then turning the "equipment check" switch off and only then he would start the engine. Same procedure for engine no.2, so I assumed he would do a EEC test before each engine start.