Guillaume wrote:
When an aircraft ask us to start up the engine, we ask him to check the safety arround the aircraft with the ground crew. We do not give engine start-up clearance ourselves on the apron . It’s not our responsibility. We do not even see most of the apron from the tower. When an aircraft wants to start it’s engine independently from a regular flight, we ask him to phone the airport manager.
That is different from every airport I’ve been to where a start-up permission has been required. In my experience it is quite clear that ATC expects me to get start-up permission before starting the engine. In one case, where the Jepp info didn’t say that start-up clearance was required, the tower complained about my “unauthorised” start-up when I called for taxi. And that was in a SEP.
Aviathor wrote:
The first one applies to all IFR traffic in Europe
It doesn’t. In Sweden start-up permission is not generally required, although it is generally recommended for turbine aircraft. This is explicit from the AIP.
At Schipol you get clearance and start approval from CLNC, then go to the ramp (KLM) to get taxi permission (within the ramp). The GND before entering a taxiway. It is clearly done to ensure sequencing so they don’t have a lot of aircraft taxiing to the hold well ahead of their CTOT.
But no one except the pilot checks it is safe to start the engine.
Airborne_Again wrote:
In my experience it is quite clear that ATC expects me to get start-up permission before starting the engine.
What I wrote above is not specific to the airport I work. In France it’s almost always like that (I can’t think of one airport in France you need engine start-up permission from ATC when the aircraft is on the apron).
Just like Aviathor wrote, apron management is not the same everywhere. It’s quite possible that where you flew, you needed permission from ATC.
JasonC wrote:
But no one except the pilot checks it is safe to start the engine.
I think it was one of the first thing I learnt when I started flying a SEP (there was obviously no handling at this airport).
I did some push-back with the Air France ground staff at my airport. The aircraft crew always asked to the guy who was connected to the aircraft if they could start the engines.
That day, during a Boeing 777-300ER (known for it’s powerful jetblast) push-back , the ground staff denied start-up to the crew as an ATR was parked behind. When the Boeing was clear of the ATR, the ground staff cleared the aircraft to start the engines.
