For those of you who are still having difficulty starting the C130 engines, try this method. It works for me every time,it may not be the exact method used in real life but it works in flight simulation.

Begin with your 130 ACE editor,enter your fuel and cargo weights etc and click on save and your simulator will begin. You should be in the Cold and Dark situation. (If you want to begin with the default Cessna in position with all generators and batteries off that's OK too.)

Open the upper panel and make sure the Ground Power switch is in the OFF position. Click  battery switch to ON, (that's the switch with the green stripe on it). Open the guarded switch ( essential DC bus switch is under there) and click switch to the right. The four small meters to the left of the battery switch will show some readings. There is a black switch to the right of the battery switch which says. ESS DC BUS, MAIN DC BUS and BATT. Place this switch to MAIN DC BUS position.

Now start the GTC.  Click on DOOR TO OPEN position, the orange light will come on. Now GTC switch to start position. When you are happy the GTC has fired up put the GTC Bleed Air switch to OPEN.
Now,place ATM switch to start position (there is no noise from the ATM when this happens.)
Look down the panel and you will see the engine generator panels, and to the right of these is the ATM generator switch (yellow stripe on the switch). Now click on this switch- first to RESET and then to FIELD TRIP. Now go to the right of the ATM gen switch and there is a switch which says VOLTAGE and FREQUENCY SELECTOR. Click onto the ATM position. The gauge above this switch will show voltage readings.
You now have the power you need to begin the engine start sequence.

Open up the two wing Isolation switches to NORMAL (unguard them first).

Now go to number 3 engine position and click Bleed Air to OPEN position, go down to the generator selector switch (right below the bleed air switch) and select number 3 Engine Generator Switch to the 12 o'clock position the light MUST BE ON RED.

Now open up the Throttle Quadrant and make sure all the Engine Condition levers are in the full forward position, (the AIR START position),ALL OF THEM!

Now open up the lower engineers panel and click and hold on number 3 engine starter switch, the  RED light will come on, as will a small light right above the start button. The ENGINE GAUGE PANEL will automatically appear. If you have followed the sequnce correctly number 3 engine will spool up very rapidly, now release the start switch , make sure the gauge shows temperature and torque etc and go back to the upper engineers panel.

Now you need to bring the number 3 engine generator online. Go to the number 3 gen switch and first go to RESET and then to FIELD TRIP position (which is the 12 o'clock position), the light will go out, and the generator gauge will show a voltage reading.  Now go to the right to the switch which says VOLTAGE AND FREQUENCY and place the switch from ATM to number 3 ENG position, this will switch the power source from the ATM to number 3 generator ,you will still have a voltage reading on the gauge.

Go through this same sequence for the other 3 engines, first select bleed air to the engine and then the generator switch to the 12 o'clock position and then the engine starter switch.  (There is no need to select any position in the VOLTAGE AND FREQUENCY panel, number 3 engine is providing all power).
(When you sart number 2 engine and put the engine generator to the reset and then the field trip position,it will not show any voltage reading on the gauge, this is normal. It will come online when the ATM is switched off and all engines are running.)

When all engines are fired up and running, switch OFF the ATM.  Select GTC BLEED AIR to the CLOSED position.  GTC switch to the OFF position.  GTC door to the CLOSE position. You can leave all the engine bleed air switched in  the open position ,including the wing isolation valves.

Leave the BATTERY switch (the one with the green stripe) in the ON position.  Now all the engine generators are online and showing voltage readings on all engine generator gauges.  GTC and ATM are both OFF. There should be no red lights showing on the engine generators.

Now set the engine OIL COOLER FLAPS to the Automatic position (on the engineers lower panel.)



You can now carry out the fuel panel check sequence as per the manual.

Have a good flight.

John.