K4 — Stage 1full lesson · 6 sections

Start the Engine

Starting an airplane engine is a checklist process — never skip a step.

1-min review

What You'll Do Today

Today you bring the airplane to life! You'll start with a completely dark cockpit and follow the checklist step by step until the engine is running and the screens are glowing. Pilots never skip a step, and today you'll see why a checklist keeps everything in order.

Begin with everything switched off — "cold and dark"
Turn on the master switch to wake up the battery
Set the controls and start the engine using the checklist
Turn on the avionics and watch the G1000 screens boot up

By the end you'll start the engine the proper way — calm, careful, and in the right order.

study time

Cold and Dark to Alive

An airplane that is fully switched off is called "cold and dark." Starting it is not about flipping switches in any order — it's a careful checklist process. Here are the parts you'll use today.

Master Switch: This turns on the battery — the airplane's main power. It's the first switch on.
Mixture: This controls how much fuel goes to the engine. For starting, you set it to RICH (full forward).
Avionics Master: This powers the G1000 glass screens once the engine is running, so the screens don't get a power jolt during the start.

Pilots use checklists for everything — even astronauts use them on the space station! A checklist means you never forget a step, no matter how many times you've done it.

1-min review

Instructor Setup

Configure the Cessna 172 G1000 cold and dark on the ramp with the parking brake set. Plan about 20 minutes. Have the start checklist card ready so the student can read and follow it.

Session Flow

What "cold and dark" means (3 min). Show the student everything is off and explain why we start in a set order.
Power up (4 min). Master switch on; point out what wakes up.
Set for start (5 min). Mixture RICH, throttle cracked open a small amount, read each line of the checklist aloud together.
Start the engine (5 min). Turn the key to START and let the student hear it catch; check the engine instruments settle.
Avionics and wrap (3 min). Avionics master on, watch the G1000 boot, recap, and preview "Taxi Practice."

Read the checklist line by line. The goal is a calm, in-order start, not speed.

1-min review

Debrief

Confirm the student started the engine by following the checklist, not from memory or guesswork.

Recognized the cold-and-dark starting state
Turned on the master switch first
Set mixture to RICH and cracked the throttle before starting
Started the engine and brought up the avionics in the right order

Next Lesson

Next up is "Taxi Practice" (K05): steering the airplane on the ground using the foot pedals and stopping with the brakes. If any start step was rushed today, run the checklist once more at the start of K05 before taxiing.

1-min review

Lesson Plan

Where this fits: First of three sessions drawn from PPL Lesson 2, "Taxiing." This session covers the engine start and power-up that comes before any ground movement; K05 and K06 cover taxiing and wind correction on the ground.

Prerequisite: K01 — Discover the Cockpit (can locate the master, mixture, throttle, and avionics switches).
Materials: C172 G1000 simulator set cold and dark, engine start checklist card, headset.
Goal for this session: Student can complete a guided engine start from cold and dark, following the checklist in order.

Looking Ahead

K05 — Taxi Practice: steering on the ground with the pedals and brakes.
K06 — Wind on the Ground: positioning the controls for the wind while taxiing.

Book a Kids Lesson Ask a Question

These lesson plans are provided as supplementary training guidance only. They do not supersede FAA publications, aircraft manufacturer documentation, or your instructor's direction. Always refer to the FAA Instrument Flying Handbook, Airplane Flying Handbook, AIM, and applicable POH/AFM as the official sources.