IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF TURBO PROP INLET COVERS CREATES A SERIES OF HOT STARTS ON COMMUTER LTT.

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ARRIVED AT ARPT. PERFORMED PREFLT AS OUTLINED BY COMPANY. APPROX XA15 AM (DARK OUTSIDE). USED FLASHLIGHTS TO PERFORM PREFLT AND INSPECT MEL ITEM ON OUTSIDE OF ACFT. PERFORMED APPROPRIATE COCKPIT CHKLISTS AND ATTEMPTED TO START #2 ENG SEVERAL TIMES. RAMPERS; STATION MGR GAVE ALL CLR SIGNAL DURING ALL START ATTEMPTS AND BOTH /CAPT/FO VISUALLY CLRED PROP AREA. BECAUSE OUR GPU WAS NOT PUTTING OUT NORMAL PWR; WE DECIDED TO SWITCH TO ANOTHER GPU. ADDITIONAL STARTS WERE ATTEMPTED AND ABORTED. DEPLANED PAX. SPUN THE PROPS TO CLR ANY UNBURNED FUEL OUT OF ENGS. PERFORMED WALK-AROUND INSPECTION. CALLED OUR MAINT DISPATCH COORDINATOR TO NOTIFY THEM OF PROB. MAINT ASKED THAT WE TRY TO START ENGS ONE MORE TIME. AT THIS TIME; THE SUN WAS COMING UP. DURING SECOND PREFLT; WE NOTICED ENG INLET COVERS WERE BARELY VISIBLE IN INLET. THEY WERE INSTALLED INCORRECTLY THE NIGHT BEFORE BY RAMP PERSONNEL. THE RED IDENT FLAGS WERE POSITIONED ON THE INSIDE OF THE ENG AND NOT THE OUTSIDE WHERE THEY WOULD BE VISIBLE DURING PREFLT. THE LACK OF VISIBILITY DUE TO TIME OF DAY/NIGHT; LACK OF LIGHTING ON THE RAMP; AND INCORRECT INSTALLATION OF ENG INLET COVERS CONTRIBUTED TO SEVERAL ENG HOT STARTS. NO DAMAGE DONE TO ENGS IN THIS CASE. HOWEVER; IF INLETS WERE BIGGER; IT WOULD HAVE SUCKED COVERS AND FLAGS INTO ENGS.