Talking of overspeeding props, there is an interesting procedure for a prop overspeed during takeoff. This could be the result of a sheared CSU drive shaft; the CSU senses an underspeed and schedules the prop full fine. If power from the engine was required, rather than shut it down, the trick was to coarsen the prop with judicious, intermittent use of the Feather pump.
Ted McKenzie, who was flying 3s since before Adam was a boy, illustrates the technique in perhaps more dubious circumstances.
It’s the late 50s, a ferry from Richmond to Sydney, and the outfit he was involved with was under the scrutiny of the regulator so an engine shut down would not have assisted their cause. Ted relates, “Takeoff was normal and all went well until at about 500 ft the starboard airscrew ran away. I wanted to avoid at all costs generating an incident and increased power on the starboard and controlling revs with the feathering button. However, the feathering caper was only a short term solution and on reaching 1000 ft we allowed the engine to feather.
“Fortunately Radar did not notice our abnormally low airspeed and I made contact with Sydney Tower and requested priority landing, subtly stressing that I did not wish to be faced with having to go around from the approach. They obliged and did not query the request. At a reasonable distance out, I unfeathered the starboard and we proceeded with low power and coarse on that side. All went as planned and we taxied to the hangar as though nothing had happened – which of course it hadn’t.”
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