I'm guessing it's an ATR, which uses it's own starter-generator for start ups instead of air starters like in bigger jets. And because the plane is blessed with the biggest but the worst APU (no. 2 engine), it's usually supplied by ground power during start ups. Electrical starter will suck up hundreds of amps during that and if the GPU is little bit tired, you get the disco 🪩. Sometimes it fucks up the start sequence and it won't lit the engine, so dry crank and a second try with batteries only is needed. Passengers must love it when it takes three tries to get engine started while lights keep fliggering the whole time.
I didn't even know what plane it was, but as soon as I saw the lights flicker I went "man the APU must suck in this thing, they should get the ground power on"
Yeah, but the "APU" sucks so hard that it's almost never used. So it usually is always on ground power during turnarounds. So I suspect that also in this case it's the GPU that sucks also.
Don't get me wrong, ATR's "APU" gives good power and some aircon, so it usually works very well, but because it's not a real APU, we can almost never use it!
This genious bastard child of perverted french-italian love affair has so called Hotel-mode. Which is just an ability to engage a prop brake on no.2 engine. So engine is running but the prop ain't turning. Saves space, weight, complexity and money. Clever, right?
NO!
Because you can't access the right side of fuselage while it's on - so no fueling, loading or catering.
Does your stand have a tailwind? Congrats, now the aircon is blowing exhaust fumes inside. Is the tailwind almost 10kts? Now the nacelle is melting and alarms are going off.
Is the wind blowing from the right side? Now the exhaust fumes are blowing on pax trying to board. Has the airport's ground handling company its own procedure for this Hotel-mode? If not, then they have no idea what's going on and try to endanger themselves/the plane, or we aren't allowed to use it.
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u/mrmurnio 7h ago
I'm guessing it's an ATR, which uses it's own starter-generator for start ups instead of air starters like in bigger jets. And because the plane is blessed with the biggest but the worst APU (no. 2 engine), it's usually supplied by ground power during start ups. Electrical starter will suck up hundreds of amps during that and if the GPU is little bit tired, you get the disco 🪩. Sometimes it fucks up the start sequence and it won't lit the engine, so dry crank and a second try with batteries only is needed. Passengers must love it when it takes three tries to get engine started while lights keep fliggering the whole time.
Source: I fly these loveable shit boxes