Thom
Is this a question or an answer?

ericbryce2
They still do. I was sitting in a America-West Airlines 737-200 at a gate at Phoenix when the captain announced that the APU was out of order and that they were going to start one of the engines with compressed air and then use electrical power from the running engine to start the other one. Needless to say this did not instill a whole lot of confidence with the aircraft on the part of the passengers especially when we were late leaving because a maintenance man had to come aboard to screw down the wall of the toilet. The flight went off without incident and we landed safely in S.F. I expect by this time they must have retired that old bird.

James R
A or Q ? as for the air start its not the apu that was out....It was the air output of the apu to start the engine that was out. APUs are small using elect. to start where an main engine uses air to turn the starter.

Shivank
They still do. I was sitting in a America-West Airlines 737-200 at a gate at Phoenix when the captain announced that the APU was out of order and that they were going to start one of the engines with compressed air and then use electrical power from the running engine to start the other one. Needless to say this did not instill a whole lot of confidence with the aircraft on the part of the passengers especially when we were late leaving because a maintenance man had to come aboard to screw down the wall of the toilet. The flight went off without incident and we landed safely in S.F. I expect by this time they must have retired that old bird.