semmern,
I've hand propped a few Citabrias (150 HP) and Scouts (180 HP) in my time. You have to do it from the front, in order to get enough momentum into the prop. Gloves are a good idea, because of the sharp trailing edge of the prop.
I was hand propping a tow-plane at my gliding club once and there was a lady watching me pulling through the prop. She told me afterwards that she nearly fell off her sunchair in surprise when the engine started, because she thought she was witnessing a horrible accident!
Silvaire 1,
Re the modified Chipmunks. I presume they were all Experimental. Do you know if proper stress-analyses were done or did they just cut bits off, add bits as required, bolt-on a new engine and go flying?
I ask this after having read the horrifying report on the Galloping Ghost P-51 crash at Reno, where major airframe changes were made without any stress or airworthiness analyses and without approvals!
The Lenape Cub - I didn't know there were any radial-engined Cubs. Very nice.
I found the video quite scary, seeing passengers get in and out of the front-seat with the engine running.