Seeing all the fires going got me to thinking about how easy it might be to start a fire with an airplane. Since most have rather minimal mufflers, it wouldn't surprise me if they shoot sparks on runup or takeoff. A two track road in the desert usually has some grass or other tinder growing in the middle, and certainly farmers fields are all dried up after harvest.

So, anyone heard of starting a fire with plane? (crashing one doesn't count)

Does anyone limit where they land this time of year?

tom

I've seen a Maule that burned to the ground after being seriously flooded but only the Maule burned. An AH-64 set the grass on fire at Ft. Hood from leaving his landing light on, and I have set a small fire from a model airplane with a tuned pipe that I guess had fuel in the pipe. Never saw a fire until the grass caught. I haven't seen a fire from an airplane exhaust though. I think any kind of gasoline engine without a spark arrestor could set a fire. Maybe with all of the prop wash it might be real hard to start a fire with an airplane, the exhaust is awfully high in the air. I haven't even thought of it before.

Popping flares maybe. I've heard of Uncle Sam doing that.

IdahoSupercub

Simple answer: NO. That applies to fixed wing aircraft. There HAVE been fires started by helicopters, specifically two I know of with Robinson R-44 and one started by a MD 500.

I've never heard of any started by a fixed wing airplane. Those mufflers are a lot more restrictive than you allude to. The gases have to go through a lot of convolutions before they escape the engine.

Now, lighting an airplane on fire cause you don't know how to start it, as in a Maule incident......that's a different story. Course if people would simply get a good checkout before flying.....

MTV

Yea, nothing like starting fires, roll in, fire a few 2.75's, then the good old M-5 (40mm chunker) and first thing you know stuff is burning!
OH Yea to be in the 20's again! (I think it remembers better than it lived)

"Nape & Nails" lights up the ground every time

KR5T wrote:"Nape & Nails" lights up the ground every time

Or shake and Bake. You shoot the high explosive to bust everything open first, the shake part. Followed by white phosphorous, to light it up, the bake part.