First off, notice the position of her right hand. She has her fingers wrapped around the blade. If the engine kicks back, the back edge of the prop will take the ends of her fingers right off.
Second, the wheels are not chocked. They really should be, for if the brakes don't hold, she'll be sliced and diced.
Third, with her feet like that, when she pulls the prop down, she won't move out of the way. The reason you always saw the guy who yanked on the prop stand on one leg and swing his other leg when he yanked down was to move his body out of the prop arc as he completed the pull. Even a J-3 is swinging a long cutting blade with a 65hp engine and this airplane has a far more powerful motor. In fact, I would doubt that she would be able to hand-prop it.
Fourth, note that it's a 3-blade prop. Hand-propping an engine with a 3-blade prop is almost as risky as propping a nose-dragger airplane. It's close to asking to be chopped up, as you have very little time to move your precious appendages out of the prop arc.
Hand-propping is a serious deal. Hand-propping anything much over 100hp is a very serious deal. I've hand-propped my Stinson once in the time I've owned it and I'd rather not ever do it again. I moved so fast from the prop's arc when it started that I swore I had teleported myself by thirty feet. I had no memory of moving away that far.
(WHAT?!? WHAT WERE YOU LOOKING AT??)
12 comments:
Are you trying to say that there is an airplane of some sort in that photo?
I've hand-propped my Stinson once in the time I've owned it and I'd rather not ever do it again.
I've always wondered what kind of airplane you owned. A Stinson ... that's too cool. What model, if you don't mind saying? (I'm assuming it's not a Model A ...)
What plane? She has hands?!? What other tricks does that photo contain...I must look further:)
Heard about the stewardess that backed into a running prop?
Disaster.
PS
Hope it's not a brisk day, we'd have another (pair actually) safety violation.
Jbrock, this is what I fly.
Nice, a 108-3, isn't it? The cargo door makes it a dash, and the taller tall argues for a -3. Can't really tell the power, so that's as far as the detective work can take me.
I've always been fond of tail draggers, and that is a very nice tail.
Jbrock, this is what I fly.
Nice!
Once when I belonged to the Winged Spartans Flying Club at Michigan State University I went out to the airport (it was winter) and as I was walking to the T-Hangar to get my airplane I heard this terrible sound.
It sounded like a saw slicing through metal. I ran around the corner just in time to see the aircraft owner lean in and shut the engine off, too late as it turns out.
He had hand propped the Tri-Pacer, did not chock it, and kept advancing the throttle. When it finally caught he fell down, the airplane taxiied into a nearby hangar and promptly destroyed a beautiful Cessna 180 wing.
Prop an airplane at your own risk. BTW, at my age the only thing I can see is the airplane!
JetAviator7
Original Aviator Sunglasses
John, I've seen the aftermath of a Cessna Cardinal chopping up a Piper twin. The Cardinal required over 100 hours of labor to fix, the Piper was totaled.
I watched some guy try to hand-prop a 172. The FBO desk clerk had her phone sitting right there so she could dial 9-1-1. I went flying rather than stand around and watch. (He did get it started without incident.)
I was about 11 years old and interested in paying for the tow so someone would take me up in a sail plane. This old WWII two engine craft tilted like the one above had one engine started and the other wouldn't. Soon there was a crowd gathered watching, holding their breath, waiting. "what?" "They're infamous for exploding on take off. Once he gets airborne it'll cool down and he'll be all right." Strange things happen as small airfields; things more dangerous than teenage girls showing off for a photographer.
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