With the fuel and mags off, mixture at ICO and the throttle fully closed
Something which I think we are forgetting here is the normal way of stopping an aircraft engine - by starving it of fuel, with the mags
on. In other words, even with the mags on, we remove from the fuel lines the fuel which is needed to sustain the engine (let alone start it) when we shut the engine down.
Therefore, as far as I can tell, the chances of an engine starting when you pull the prop through are pretty much nil, and I have no problem with doing this regularly. Of course, it is always a good idea to take sensible precautions, especially when those precautions are free. Check the mags are off and the mixture lean before touching the prop. When moving a prop, always stand to one side of it, and keep your fingers behind the blades rather than in front of them (the same kind of precautions which you would use if swinging a prop). Turn the prop slowly, so there's less chance of its momentum carrying it through a full cycle. These precautions are common sense and cost nothing, so do them - although the logical part of my brain tells me that the risk they are reducing is negligable anyway.
FFF
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