Hi Everyone,
A very dangerous thing these things are, I know of someone who prop swung a C402 successfully and only noticed that his watch had been removed by the prop when he was doing the runups!
(watch was found smashed against the hangar wall!)
I have prop swung a few aeroplanes in my time, Piper J3, Cessna 182, Cessna 150 to name a few.
Some basic rules a few of which have already mentioned :-
1. ALWAYS treat props as LIVE (even ones hung at a bar! <-- face it if the prop falls off the wall and you fall off the bar as a result you could end up buying many a beer for many a month)
2. NEVER cycle the prop as part of your pre-flight
3. NEVER prop swing alone
4. NEVER trust just the parking brake, or the parking brake + toe brakes, ALWAYS use chocks
5. Children + Props - NO!
6. PAX + Props - NO!
7. You and Props - NO! (unless for the sole purpose of starting the aircraft)
Some aircraft have written procedures for prop swinging and if you're part of a club, the club will have it's rules to suit. Never just give it a go please, get someone competent to show you how it's done.
keep safe
sb