Tracked Loyd Aircraft Starter

[30sqnatc]

In this Youtube an Army Museum staff member claims Loyd carriers were originally imported into NZ as slave battery aircraft starters. That is news to me and I've never seen a picture on one being used in that role.



Does anyone have any information on this claim?

Paul

[davidd]

I have never seen any photograph nor read of the RNZAF acquiring any such vehicles as this for starting aircraft, either just prewar, or in the early war years (or at any other time for that matter). However we all live in hope of being proven wrong by the arrival of previously unknown (and reliable) information, or dated/dateable photographs, or even reminiscences at a pinch. One point that particularly interests me is that George Pycraft (who seems to be a genuine sort of chap, and no doubt very knowledgeable about Army vehicles) states that these vehicles actually arrived in New Zealand in air force markings, or had them applied soon thereafter.
Only RNZAF aircraft in service in the 1939/40 era which actually had an electric starter motor that I know of was the Mk. IV Vildebeest with the Bristol Perseus engines. Not so certain about the set up in the Fairey Gordon (possibly compressed air starter), while Vincent and other Vildebeests, Avro 626, Baffin (and possibly the Navy Walrus) had the hand-cranked inertia starters. Some types had provision for two types of starters, but often only one of these actually fitted. Some engines had provision for electric starters, but generally the hand-cranked inertia starter was favoured, presumably for simple fact that it avoided the problem of having heavy drainage on electrical systems when engaging the starter. Some of these aircraft (Oxford, Vildebeest IV for example) had provision for employing a large vehicle-mounted battery, with a heavy cable from this to be directly plugged into the aircraft's system via an external socket, but very few, if any, Oxfords were ever fitted . Anybody have any other thoughts on this matter? The "Armstrong" starter could always be employed in emergencies if all else failed, if any game person could be found, although the large engines could prove pretty challenging.
David D