Probably 98% of experimental airplanes have a battery, alternator, and starter for several reasons...it's a lot more convenient, it's a lot more flexible, and it's just plain safer.
I had a total of three takeoffs and landings on my plane and was turning climbing out on crosswind when I pulled the mixture knob way back instead of the throttle. Stupid, yes, but the engine quit instantly. If had not had a starter, that would likely have been the end of my airplane, right there! Troy Petteway has thousands of hours in everything from Citations to Champs, and he accidentally killed his KR engine while out in the hills of TN. He didn't have a starter, and the plane was damaged landing on a narrow farm road that most people wouldn't have even made it to. When he rebuilt the plane, it had a starter, battery, and alternator! The story of the guy hand-propping and only one chock on place...not terribly unusual. He's lucky the prop didn't get him in the process. If you charge your battery every night, what do you do when you fly to OSH or SNF and it's a 3.5 hour flight, then return a few days later. It's bad enough to worry about running out of fuel, but to have your ignition quit before you thought it would because it's 30 degrees colder than you've flown before...stuff like that will get you! Why stack the odds so high against yourself to save a few pounds? We are not operating in a realm where 20 pounds is going to mean we fly or not. Of course I'm not telling you how to run your life or your airplane...all I can do is point out the obvious downside, but I reserve the right to say "I told you so"... Mark Langford ML at N56ML.com http://www.n56ml.com
