A gas turbine engine (10; 20) comprising: a fuel assembly (60; 160); a spool (16; 30, 32) including a rotor shaft interconnecting a compressor (44, 52) and a turbine (46, 54); a combustor section (13; 26) including a combustor in communication with the fuel assembly (60; 160), wherein the fuel assembly (60; 160) comprises a fuel valve (62; 162) that meters flow of fluid between the combustor (56; 156) and a fuel supply; and a controller in communication with the fuel assembly (60; 160), wherein the controller is programmed to receive data corresponding to a present rotational speed of a gas turbine engine component and data corresponding to at least one present flight condition and programmed to cause a flow rate from the fuel valve (62; 162) to change in response to determining that a rate of change in an acceleration rate relating to the present rotational speed meets at least one predetermined threshold, the at least one predetermined threshold relates to an engine light-off event of the combustor (56; 156) and is based upon the at least one present flight condition, the controller is coupled to a plurality of sensors that detect the present rotational speed and the at least one present flight condition, the controller comprising memory and a processor, the controller is programmed to execute a data module and a comparison module, the data module is programmed to access the data corresponding to the present rotational speed and the at least one present flight condition, the comparison module is programmed to cause an indicator to be generated in response to determining that the rate of change in the acceleration rate meets the at least one predetermined threshold, the indicator relating to the engine light-off event, the comparison module is programmed to compare an average of two or more values of the rate of change in the acceleration rate to the at least one predetermined threshold, and is programmed to cause the flow rate to change in response to determining that an average of the plurality of values meets the at least one predetermined threshold, and the gas turbine engine component is the spool (16; 30, 32). a fuel assembly (60; 160); a spool (16; 30, 32) including a rotor shaft interconnecting a compressor (44, 52) and a turbine (46, 54); a combustor section (13; 26) including a combustor in communication with the fuel assembly (60; 160), wherein the fuel assembly (60; 160) comprises a fuel valve (62; 162) that meters flow of fluid between the combustor (56; 156) and a fuel supply; and a controller in communication with the fuel assembly (60; 160), wherein the controller is programmed to receive data corresponding to a present rotational speed of a gas turbine engine component and data corresponding to at least one present flight condition and programmed to cause a flow rate from the fuel valve (62; 162) to change in response to determining that a rate of change in an acceleration rate relating to the present rotational speed meets at least one predetermined threshold, the at least one predetermined threshold relates to an engine light-off event of the combustor (56; 156) and is based upon the at least one present flight condition, the controller is coupled to a plurality of sensors that detect the present rotational speed and the at least one present flight condition, the controller comprising memory and a processor, the controller is programmed to execute a data module and a comparison module, the data module is programmed to access the data corresponding to the present rotational speed and the at least one present flight condition, the comparison module is programmed to cause an indicator to be generated in response to determining that the rate of change in the acceleration rate meets the at least one predetermined threshold, the indicator relating to the engine light-off event, the comparison module is programmed to compare an average of two or more values of the rate of change in the acceleration rate to the at least one predetermined threshold, and is programmed to cause the flow rate to change in response to determining that an average of the plurality of values meets the at least one predetermined threshold, and the gas turbine engine component is the spool (16; 30, 32).