Hand propping while keeping all my fingers

[piperboy84]

Now that the slow starting, battery draining winter weather is here does anyone want to take a stab at the correct procedure for hand propping a bog standard C172 for example, for a cold morning first start of the day? Step be step procedure would be nice as I'm sure some of us will be faced with this terrifying task sometime this winter.

[Big Pistons Forever]

For a Lycoming O 320 powered C 172 and an OAT of around + 5 C

1) tail tied down if possible
2) chocks on both main wheels
3) a qualified individual in the pilots seat
4) call throttle idle, mixture rich, mags off
5) look in the window and verify mags off
6) call 2 shots of prime
7) pull prop through 3 full turns
8) set prop at a comfortable angle ( prop tilted up about 30 degrees from the horizontal on the side of the downgoing blade, ie the one you are pulling on)
9) call for one shot of prime
10) call mags on brakes on.
11) swing prop, the engine will usually start immediately
12) if no start call mags off visual check and re position prop
13) call mags on brakes on try again

Notes:

a). You can hand prop by standing in front of, or behind prop. Personally
I like to stand behind the prop on the right side of the aircraft and hold on to the fuel step hand hold on the upper cowl with my left hand and swing the prop with my right.

b) a sturdy close fitting glove saves the skin on your fingers

c) only wrap the end of your fingers around the blade

d) make sure that the ground you are standing on gives you good footing

e) When swinging make a hard sharp pull and then relax your fingers and let your arm swing clear as the prop starts swinging

f) Anytime you move the prop assume the engine will start and position your hands and body appropriately

[piperboy84]

Based on that list, attempting it solo would obviously be a big no no, as is trying it with only one qualified individual, usually yourself, in the plane leaving the pax to do the propping which is probably a non starter (pun intended) for most pilots. So you really need 2 qualified folks to do it safely.

[The Ancient Geek]

Better to keep the battery properly charged and to have a jumpstart available. There are proper ground power kits available for the purpose.

If your battery cannot start the engine there is a good chance that it will let you down in the air with no radio or transponder and only vacuum instruments.

[TowerDog]

It has been years since I did that in Alaska in the winter, but I seem to remember we pulled the prop backwards several times to loosen up the oil before we attempted start...?

[9 lives]

What Big Pistons said, but to add that if you have run the battery flat trying to start a Lycoming, the bendix in the starter might still be engaged to the ring gear, in which case, hand propping it is not going to work.

Presuming the opportunity to get to know how that engine likes to be started, set it up that way before you begin. Pre heat it.

A few days ago, my 150's battery was low. I chocked and tied it, and as I expected, it was running on the third pull (it never fires on the forst two pulls - I just know). No drama, I cautiously walked around to set the engine running nicely, then all things well, untied and unchocked it, and off I went.

BUT, I'm hyper cautious hand propping planes I do not know - too many surprises. While hand propping a buddy's new 150 decades ago, having called mags off, which he acknowledged from the pilot's seat, I pulled through a prime. It started first pull. Fortunately, I always pull like it's gonna start. This time it did :eek:. I gave him a gesture of dissatisfaction through the prop arc. He responded by holding up the keys for me to see. A bad mag lead. Know your plane....

[IFMU]

As far as the mechanics of swinging the prop, I was taught this way:
http://youtu.be/ivCazXU-0kA

I have only propped one O-320, on a PA18. Not as much fun as the little continentals.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

What Big Pistons said. I don't like hand propping 172s or 150 but have done. We used always hand-prop the L4 Cub - there was no other way and it felt fine, as did the Chipmunk which we often hand propped first start of the day to save straining the small batteries.

I understand you should not turn some flat engines backwards as it knackers the vacuum pump.

[Croqueteer]

:)Treat the prop like the Queen. Never turn your back on it.

[foxmoth]

First I would say get someone who knows to show you how to do it, either way, first practice with the mags off, noting where your hands and the rest of your body goes as you do it. Another point is to make sure you are on solid ground, easy to find at this time of year that you are standing on a slippery area of mud!

[flybymike]

As far as the mechanics of swinging the prop, I was taught this way:
http://youtu.be/ivCazXU-0kA

It seems that an essential part of the process is raising your right leg off the ground.....

[Mixed Up]

Don't move the propeller with the fuel on!

[OpenCirrus619]

Firstly you need extra care if you are hand-propping most (no offence intended) "Spam Cans" as the engine goes through TDC with the prop blade at around 7 o'clock - compared to something like a Tiger Moth where it does through TDC at around 2 o'clock.
This means (simple mechanics) there is a tendancy to start leaning into the prop (7 o'clock) at the point the engine is likely to fire - as opposed to leaning away (2 o'clock).

Secondly there should be no need for "sharply", or anything else which requires sudden effort (which will tend to unbalance you) - if the impulse mag is working the engine just needs to be brought gently past TDC.
If the impulse mag is not working correctly (you should be able to hear it "clack") then DON'T HAND PROP (unless you REALLY know what you are doing).

See this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mC9_1fxueqM

2 points to note:

On the first 2 pull throughs you can hear the impulse mag "clack". Note how gently the prop was moved - if the mags were on then it could (would?) have started
When he pulls it over with mags on he is moving away as he pulls through
Although he pulls it over slightly quicker with the mags on - there was no need


The process (for a Tiger Moth):

Check chocks are in
Check firm footing where you are going to stand (especially in wet weather on grass)
Fuel On
Prime (push button on carb until it dribbles av-gas on your feet)
Throttle closed
Mags OFF
Pull through 4 blades - TREATING IT LIKE IT WILL START
Throttle set
Mags On
Continue pulling though until it starts


If it doesn't start after 8-10 blades then it's possibly flooded:

Mags Off
Throttle Wide
Pull thought 12 (min) blades BACKWARDS
Start all over again (without the priming)


To give some "colour" to my experience ...
I learnt to hand-prop with the Tiger Club - where being able to hand-prop was a requirement before soloing the club planes (fairly necessary, since most of them don't have starter motors).

OC619

P.S. I realise that people are going to disagree with some/all of what I've written (as is their right) - in my defence: I have been hand-propping for 10 years and still have all my fingers :ok:

[Small Rodent Driver]

1. Ensure aircraft on firm level ground.

2. Brakes on and set.

3. Throttle open 1/4"

4. Switches off. Keys in pocket.

5. Pull through four blades to break oil seal.

6. Fuel on.

7. Prime.

8. Pull through four blades.

9. Check brakes again. Physically by trying to push the aircraft against them.

10. Check throttle open 1/4". Again!

11. Switches on.

12. Swing smartly through one compression.

If it doesn't start then switches off, reposition prop and repeat steps 9-12. Perhaps with a little of step 7. Re-Prime.

It may take a few spluttering attempts to get some heat into the cylinders and inlet to aid fuel atomisation.

Good luck.

Just a quick comment about turning the engine backwards to "blow out" if flooded. DONT. If it is fitted with a vacuum pump. Possibility you may damage the graphite vanes of the pump.

[foxmoth]

A couple of tips if you are going to prop it with no one in the cockpit, the first point being - DON'T
If you still go ahead like this then after priming, turn the fuel OFF, if it starts no problem there is plenty of time to go in the cockpit and turn it on before he engine stops due to fuel starvation, if for some reason the aircraft runs away at least it will run out of fuel after a few minutes!

[piperboy84]

Perhaps someone can explain this one to me. A few years ago I got stuck at an airfield with a knackered starter solenoid, a local aircraft mechanic come over and said he would prop it for me, however prior to getting started and after making sure the magnetos etc. were all off, he ran the prop thru a couple of cycles listening for the impulse click and noting the position of the prop. I cant remember exactly what he said bit it was something along the lines of he was checking to see that the prop had been installed in the correct position i.e. installed correctly for hand propping in relation to TDC. Does this makes sense?

[foxmoth]

Yes, you want the prop in the 2o'clock position rather than 12 or 4, both of which would be very awkward to swing. Prop can be bolted on in any of these positions.

[piperboy84]

foxmoth Yes, you want the prop in the 2o'clock position rather than 12 or 4, both of which would be very awkward to swing. Prop can be bolted on in any of these positions

thanks, so was he verifying that the prop was correctly installed by moving it to its 2 o'clock position (for ease of propping) while listening for the impulse coupling click signifying that cylinder #1 was its firing position and feeling for the compression resistance. ( I assume the click only happens when cylinder 1 is at its firing stroke?

[India Four Two]

I'm slightly confused by the "o'clock" recommendations.

foxmoth,
Are you talking about a Gypsy Major or its kin?

For a Lycoming or Continental, the prop needs to be in the 10 o'clock position (when facing the aircraft), as is indicated in the videos above.

mixed up,
It doesn't matter whether the fuel is on or off. There's enough fuel in the carburettor for the engine to start, if the mags are live.

flybymike,
I always kick my leg back when hand propping from the front. It gets me moving backward, away from the prop. However, I like to think I do it more elegantly than the guy in the Luscombe video! ;) Of course, as has been said above, you need firm ground.

It is also a good idea to warn any non-aviation bystanders what you are going to do. A lady nearly fell out of her chair when I started a tow-plane at our club. She thought she was witnessing a fatal accident!

pb84,
If your Maule has an impulse mag, it's a good idea to turn off the non-impulse mag, to avoid a potential backfire (and finger tip issues). It has always surprised me that impulse mags are not identified on the mag switch.

[ETOPS]

surprised me that impulse mags are not identified

In my hand propping days, many years ago, there was a "convention" that the left mag was the impulse. I never saw that written down but it seemed to work when applied to the various older types I was called upon to start - Chipmunk (not Shaggy's - the older one) SV-4C, various Jodels and Cubs and the really difficult VW powered homebuilts.

My only failure was a Pitts S1 flown by the now owner of Jet2 - I simply wasn't strong enough to get past a compression - he was not amused :eek:

[foxmoth]

Continental, the prop needs to be in the 10 o'clock position (when facing the aircraft), as is indicated in the videos a

Depends where you prop it from - if you are doing it from behind then it is 2 o'clock looking from there - also of course the prop goes clockwise looking from the back not from the front so to me it does not seem quite right to use o'clock on a prop that goes anti-clockwise!:}

[Mixed Up]

mixed up,
It doesn't matter whether the fuel is on or off. There's enough fuel in the carburettor for the engine to start, if the mags are live.

If the aircraft moves forward due the throttle being inadvertently left open (this happened to a colleague recently) it could mean the difference between recovering the aircraft from a few yards away or recovering the UAV from a miles away.

Also, turn off the fuel when sucking in, in case a mag lead has failed to live.

Which is why I say, never move the propeller with the fuel on.

[IFMU]

It seems that an essential part of the process is raising your right leg off the ground.....

The idea is that you push off the prop as you swing it, and get your right leg swinging away from the prop. You end up with momentum carrying you away from the prop if something goes wrong.

[mikehallam]

Do NOT FORGET if it's a tail wheel a/c that the prop tips are a lot closer to your shins than the tip appears at the top of its arc.

So when assessing where to stand etc. have a little look at just how much/little gap there is !

mike hallam (Fingerful after 20 years of hand propping a Potez flat four).

[Maoraigh1]

With key mags and start, master off is a useful safety item. Past both on, and the starter could kick.
I'd rather handstart with no-one in the cockpit than with an untrained person.
After several starts of a Jodel O200 with it stopping before I could get in, a senior big plane engineer offered to help. As I approached the cockpit to get in after starting, I thanked him, and said to close the throttle while I got in. He pushed the lever fully in, the plane jumped the chocks, and zig-zagged about on the apron, with brakes seizing wheel on ice patch, then allowing movement on dry bits. He froze for a while before closing the throttle.
NEVER let an untrained person swing the prop.
PS in cold conditions I've started Pa28 engines with the primer out, closing it slowly after start

[Crash one]

Sorry but Master Off is no guarantee of mags off. Mags are an independent power source. Airborne, switch master off, radio goes dead!

[foxmoth]

I can see what Maoraigh is saying with the master but it will not make a lot of difference on many aircraft as the starter motor is often a direct take from the battery.

[Maoraigh1]

I know master has nothing to do with mags. But on a key start system, a slight turn too far on the "On" call can give a kick from the starter if the master is on. Not possible with separate mag switches and starter switch. Our system will not activate the starter with the master off. The solenoid is through the master. A direct pull to the starter switch would be separate from the may switches.

[Crash one]

Maoraigh 1
I'm sorry, I see what you are getting at.
My bug smasher doesn't have a key switch. Unfamiliarity breeds ignorance, my mistake.

[9 lives]

In an airworthy certified airplane, the electric stater cannot be engaged with the master off. If it can, something is really wrong!

Yes, leaving the master off during hand propping would prevent unintended actuation of starter - but a cautious pilot should prevent unintended actuation of anything!

Many smaller Continental power planes up to the late '60's had a pull starter knob, which was independent of any other control. They required a hearty pull to engage the starter. They worked extremely well, other than for two big dislikes: If they were set up incorrectly, they could really damage gears in the engine (the starter was turning gears as they engaged, rather than after engagement), and, instructors did not like the system, as it was a difficult reach across the student, with an awkward pull to start from the right side. Reaching across to turn the key was easier.

[Piper.Classique]

Pulled the prop through on a Rallye tug on a cold morning, an aircraft renowned for being reluctant to start. A four blader, 180 hp, just come out of a cold hangar, oat -10.
Chocked, no prime, throttle closed, keys in my pocket. The ***** started, ran for long enough for me to walk round the back, get on the wing and reach down to the fuel tap.
Still have all my fingers, never wear a watch or rings when handling a prop or a battery. Beware clothing, too, especially scarves and long sleeves.

[India Four Two]

keys in my pocket. The ***** started,

I've flown a Warrior that had a faulty key-switch. I could take the key out in any switch position, not just Off.

I much prefer toggle switches for mags, preferably ones I can see, when I'm hand-propping e.g. Tiger Moths and Canadian Chipmunks.

[Flyingmac]

I have a pull starter. It won't, and shouldn't, work with the master off.
The mags don't care if the master is on or off. She'll start with a hand swing regardless. It did once when pulling through. I had the keys in my pocket.
An engineer had left a mag live after using one of his own 'generic' keys.

[mikehallam]

Apropos 'mag' switches on or off & starters.

I understand a pre WWI Rolls Royce car engine was started from stationary with a shower of sparks. With the Potez flat four, there were a few notable occasions where she too started from stationary.

After manually propping to suck in & back in the cockpit I switched the ignition tumbler switches on. [i.e. no starter which I rarely used]. This alone could yield a propitious spark into the fuel air mix in a cylinder & away she went.

Moral: A prop is ALWAYS live.

mike hallam.

[Rocket2]

Sadly a bit of a horror story from me - many moons ago I was hand swinging a 100Hp Continental on a home build when the engine backfired (I believe that the impulse had stuck during suck ins & then released as the cylinder came up to compression), anyway it went backwards at 2000rpm leaving my thumb hanging from a thread :{. Thankfully the wonderful surgeons at Odstock Hospital sewed it back on after a 2 hour wait (it was Christmas after all) & there it remains.
Not swung a prop since & shudder at the mere thought.

[n5296s]

Soon after I started flying I asked an experienced pilot friend of mine about hand propping. He said, "Never done it, I don't want to be called Lefty".

Settled it for me. I did see one of my instructors do it once on a 172 with a flat battery. But I'd prefer to get the battery cart.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

Well I've hand-propped various taildraggers on a regular basis for decades and am convinced that as long as you know what you are doing, and do it correctly, it carries very little risk.

I'm not so comfortable hand-propping the likes of 172s, but if it meant the difference between flying home or leaving the aeroplane and getting the bus I wouldn't hesitate to hand prop it. Carefully.

[piperboy84]

anyway it went backwards at 2000rpm leaving my thumb hanging from a thread

Jesus, that would put a damper on any aspirations of having a career as a concert pianist.

[BEagle]

About 45 years ago, when I was young and stupid, I was offered a trip in rather a shabby old TriPacer. The brakes (hand operated) weren't very good and the engine wasn't happy to run with the throttle closed, as I later discovered....

Having got into the left hand seat from over the back seat with the pilot in the other seat holding the brake lever with the engine at about 1200 rpm, I strapped in and was invited to taxy the thing to the end of the runway at the disused aerodrome where it had landed. Being an RAF Chipmunk student at the time, I taxyed as we'd been taught, closed the throttle and braked to a standstill planning to do some take-off checks - whereupon the engine promptly stopped.

The starter motor was somewhat intermittent and chose not to work on this occasion. Undaunted, the pilot hopped out and hailed a passing cyclist on the public road which crossed the runway. "Ever swung a prop, mate?" he asked. "No", came the predictable reply - so the pilot showed him how, got back in, yelled "OK" and the engine started first time!

By then I was beginning to realise that the pilot and his friend weren't actually that safe, so after we took off with the intention of filming the friend's house only to encounter a nasty shower, I decided enough was enough, went back and landed, then legged it and left them to it!

I Learned About Flying From That!

[First_Principal]

Apologies to those that have already read this piece, but it's a good example of what can happen if you're outside starting your aircraft and you're having a bad day.

I always thought that Bennie Hill could have done a good parody of the trail of aircraft following and Colonel Blimp shooting out of the window of one of them... anyway thanks to Melissa Green for the writeup - the original website has long gone but this is a great true story!:

-----------------

Wagga's airplane is an Auster. Its history is based upon that of an Auster J/4 Archer which took off without its pilot one morning in August 1955 and was subsequently -- after a long flight over the Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia -- shot down by two Royal Navy pilots on loan to the Royal Australian Navy. This history is fundamental to Wagga's relationship to and feelings about the Auster, as the story will make apparent.

Meanwhile, here is a complete account of the flyaway Auster as drawn from accounts in the Sydney Morning Herald of 31 August 1955, a day after the incident. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Bernie Lingham of Deakin University Library, Geelong, Victoria, Australia, who tracked down the newspaper story on scant information.
-- Mel, 22 April 2001

The Flyaway Auster

Shortly before 9:00 AM on Tuesday, 30 August 1955, Anthony Thrower of Granville, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, had taken one circuit of Bankstown aerodrome when his airplane stalled. As he later told police, "I was on a solo flight and I had made one circle of the drome when the engine cut out about 10 feet from the ground. I landed the plane in the middle of the strip. I then got out and swung the propeller. The engine started. The brake failed to hold and the aircraft took off by itself. It then took off in the direction of Sydney.

The aircraft, owned by Kingsford Smith Aviation Service Flying School at Bankstown, was an Auster J/4 Archer , one of only 26 aircraft built of that model. [Auster] The Auster Archer was a two-seater civilian model based on the more well-known Austers used as Air Observation Platforms (AOP), artillery spotters, and for other uses near the end of World War II and in Korea. The Archer was high-winged monoplane with a 110 horsepower Cirrus Minor Engine.

After taking off without its pilot, the Auster circled Bankstown aerodrome at a low altitude for about 15 minutes, closely missing the air control tower and other airport buildings, before gaining altitude and circling left to fly towards Sydney. Meantime, Thrower ran a half-mile from the runway to alert the control tower. Bankstown officials soon alerted officials at Mascot, which broadcast a general alarm to aircraft in the vicinity. Police and other authorities were also informed.

One of two Auster AOPs operated by the Royal Australian Navy from about 1953 to 1963. Both were operated by the 723 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm. Most AOPs were 2-seaters. The runaway Auster was a civilian 2-seater similar to the AOP. The naval Auster autocar flown by Commander J.R.W. Groves flew when he, with three passengers, trailed the runaway Auster for over two hours on 30 August 1955 was a 4-seater.

Commander J.R.W. Groves of the Royal Australian Navy, piloting three other naval personnel in a 4-seat Auster autocar, heard the alert. "We were returning to Schofields aerodrome after an exercise flight about 8.50 a.m. when we were alerted by Mascot to watch for the runaway," Groves later stated. He spotted the Auster above Fairfield: "We were near Bankstown when we saw it about 1,500 feet up and climbing in tight circles. I caught up with it, and went in to within 50 yards to see if anyone was in it. Previous reports had indicated the possibility that someone, perhaps a small boy, was crouched in the runaway airplane, but Groves and his passengers saw no one. "It was obvious it was unoccupied and that the controls were fixed in the one position," Groves stated. "We followed it as it gained height and moved over the centre of the city [of Sydney] about 9:30 a.m., then over Garden Island, Point Piper and Watson's Bay. There was nothing we could [do] about it. We had no armament to shoot it down, and, in any case, we could not have done that while it was over land. When over Watson's Bay it started to take a northerly direction at about 6,000 feet. We kept notifying Mascot of its position until the Wirraway arrived.

Mascot apparently relayed the position information to the Bourke Street police radio station [in Sydney], which broadcast the Auster's whereabouts at nearly one-minute intervals. Spectators who heard the broadcasts lined the coast around Sydney Harbour, while other residents flooded police and news media switchboards with calls. Police patrolled the areas over which the Auster flew, and fire and ambulance officers remained on alert.

Shadowed from Bankstown by the naval Auster autocar and other naval and RAAF aircraft from Bankstown, the Auster overflew Punchbowl, Bexley, Hurtsville, Rockdale, Mascot, Alexandria, Redfern, Point Piper, Rose Bay, Vaucluse, North Head, Manly, and Narrabeen before flying out to sea to Palm Beach and Broken Bay.

The Wirraway, taking its name from aboriginal for challenge, was a modified version of the North American NA-33 manufactured by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC). It was flown by the RAAF from 1939 to 1959. An RAAF Wirraway piloted by Wing-Commander Douglas Beattie tailed the runaway Auster on 30 August 1955. Squadron-Leader T. Janes, accompanying Beattie, was armed with a hand machine-gun and attempted to shoot the Auster down about 9,000 feet over the sea. After firing one burst, intense cold prevented Janes from changing the magazine to fire another burst.

Meantime, at 9:22 AM, the Department of Civil Aviation had requested RAAF Air Operations at Home Command to shoot down the Auster. The RAAF dispatched a CAC Wirraway from Richmond, piloted by Wing Commander D. Beattie and Squadron Leader T. Janes, to shadow the Auster and ascertain whether the Auster was indeed unoccupied. Two RAAF Gloster Meteors from Williamstown, an operation training unit, was also dispatched in support of the Wirraway. Two unarmed Sabre jet fighters were also sent out to track the Auster.

Shortly after the Wirraway caught up with the runaway, the naval Auster autocar piloted by Commander Groves headed for home. About 11 a.m., when the Auster was east of Narrabeen we returned to the aerodrome after being airborne three and a quarter hours," Groves later reported. "It was one of the most amazing experiences I have had.

The flyaway Auster flew well out to sea, where the Wirraway circled it at an altitude of 9,000 feet. Squadron Leader Janes shot a burst at the Auster with a hand machine-gun, but apparently missed, and he was unable to change the magazine to fire another burst because of the extreme cold.
Meteors are single-seat interceptors, and were the only jets to see action in World War II in the RAF. They were flown by the RAAF from 1946, being officially retired in 1963.[RAAF] An RAAF Meteor attempted to shoot down the runaway Auster, but was hampered by the Auster's slow airspeed (about 70 mph), too slow for the Meteor which had a stalling speed of 100 mph. In addition, the Meteor's guns jammed.

An RAAF Meteor, a single-seat jet interceptor, then attempted to shoot down the Auster. A second Meteor was standing by. Meteors were the only jets to have seen action in World War II (in the UK's Royal Air Force), and had been flown in the RAAF since 1946. They had already proven themselves in two years' service in the Korean War.

But the Auster was traveling at about 70 miles per hour -- 30 mph lower than the Meteor's stalling speed of 100 mph -- making the Auster too slow for the Meteor to effectively chase. Adding to that frustration, when the first Meteor fired at the Auster, its guns jammed. The standby Meteor apparently made no attempt to shoot the Auster. The names of the Meteor pilots do not seem to have been disclosed to the media.

From 1949 to 1962, 101 Hawker Sea Furies were operated by the Royal Australian Navy as the RAN's principal fleet defence fighter. Two Sea Furies, operated by Lt. J.R.T. Bluett and Lt. Peter McNay of the 805 Squadron, on loan to the RAN from the UK's Royal Navy, were responsible for shooting down the runaway Auster.

Two Sea Furies were then dispatched from the naval base at Nowra. The Furies were piloted by two Royal Navy lieutenants on loan to the Royal Australian Navy. Lt. J.R.J. Bluett had served eight months in the Korean War from the H.M.S. Glory and Lt.Peter McNay had served eight months in Australia after completing his training in England.

"The operations staff told us the story of the Auster," Lt. Bluett told the Sydney Morning Herald, "and after we got word that it was still in the air, we took off with four loaded cannon in each aircraft. Mascot and the R.A.A.F. Meteor gave us the position of the Auster, which we spotted out to sea off Broken Bay at 11.35. As it flew in tight circles at about 10,000 feet, Lieut. McNay went in with flaps down to within 100 yards of it to make sure there was no one in it. He pulled off, made a run from astern, and gave it a short burst from his cannon. It rocked as he came on, and we knew it was hit. I came in and fired at it beam on. I gave it about 15 rounds, and almost immediately a great sheet of flame rose from the cockpit. It levelled out, smoke pouring from it, and started to go down in a slow spiral. We followed it down and Lieut. McNay gave it two or three more bursts on the way down. It hit the water with a splash, still in one piece, and disappeared. From the time we first hit it, it was a minute and a half before it crashed."

One of two unarmed Sabre jet fighters caught three photographs of the flyaway minutes before the Auster was shot down. [Jet's Camera...] The Auster met its fate about 10 miles northeast of Broken Bay. At 11:45 AM, the police radio broadcast the announcement that "the Auster had been shot down. It's all over." In all, the Auster had flown pilotless for nearly three hours.

Ground staff at Nowra later painted a yellow emblem, representing the downed Auster, on the fuselage of Bluett's Sea Fury.

The Navy Office in Melbourne issued an official statement later the same day:

The facts relating to the destruction of the runaway Auster aircraft off Broken Bay this afternoon are as follows:

After other attempts (by two R.A.AF Meteor jet fighters and an RAAF Wirraway) to shoot the aircraft down had failed, two Sea Fury single-seat fighter aircraft of the R.A.N. Fleet Air Arm from Nowra were called on.
One of the Sea Furys, piloted by Lieutenant J.R.T. Bluett, of 805 Squadron, shot the Auster down and set it on fire, and as it was falling the other Sea Fury, piloted by Lieutenant P.F. McNay, also of 805 Squadron, completed its destruction by gunfire.

The remains of the Auster then crashed into the sea.

The RAAF suffered some embarrasment over the incident. The runaway Auster "caught the R.A.A.F. out," Minister of Air A.G. Townley told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's peacetime, not wartime, and the pilots at Williamstown were on stand down. If necessary we could have scrambled the two squadrons of Avon Sabre jet fighters from Williamtown. But you don't take a 12-inch gun to shoot a mouse."

FP.

[Rocket2]

Not affected the use of my thumb PB, I watched in awe (under the drapes) as the plastic surgeon methodically stitched everything back together & reconnected the nerve, have full feeling & pretty good range of movement. Suspect I was blooming lucky :ok:

[Hawker 800]

Don't forget to tighten the throttle friction either. It's the small details that can get you!

Also, if you're wearing a tie, tuck it in.

I disagree wit a well known poster above, never wrap your fingers around a prop. There is no need. Not even the tips. I've never swung a prop wearing gloves.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

never wrap your fingers around a prop. There is no need. Not even the tips.

Quite so. Also, don't be afraid the engine will burst into 2,000 rpm life while you're still in contact with the prop. What happens is you walk away as you swing it. If it 'catches', by the time it roars into life you are a few feet away off to one side.

Reading FP's post, that Auster must have been a spirally-stable aeroplane to fly pilotless in circles for so long. Must have had odd handling as a result!

[Big Pistons Forever]

I disagree with a well known poster above, never wrap your fingers around a prop. There is no need. Not even the tips. I've never swung a prop wearing gloves.

I an interested in your technique. Personally I have never been able to get enough grip to swing the prop without curling the tips of my fingers over the trailing edge of the blade. How do you do it ?

[piperboy84]

pb84,
"If your Maule has an impulse mag, it's a good idea to turn off the non-impulse mag, to avoid a potential backfire (and finger tip issues). It has always surprised me that impulse mags are not identified on the mag switch.
If your Maule has an impulse mag, it's a good idea to turn off the non-impulse mag, to avoid a potential backfire (and finger tip issues). It has always surprised me that impulse mags are not identified on the mag"

Here's on interesting link on magnetos , it appears the non impulse coupled mag is sidelined during the starting process
http://www.pittspecials.com/articles/Magnetos.htm

[galaxy flyer]

It's been a long time, but I was taught to avoid propping tricycle planes. The prop is very much lower than on a tailwheel, so you have a tendency to lean into it.

BTW, it's your head you want you want to keep.

GF

[9 lives]

Assume nothing about how mag switches are wired. Consult the maintainer of your plane for an authoritative explanation of the wiring, or otherwise understand it with no doubt.

Generally correct, the engine will not burst to a high power setting upon starting, but is rare cases it can happen, and has happened to me while hand propping - 1800 RPM as soon as it caught. I had set the throttle, but I had failed to assure its correct setting by cycling it through idle to full open to idle again before setting it. My mistake, and I learned from it. This was a mechanical failure of a very old style throttle linkage, but it happened.

I always wrap my four fingers around the trailing edge of the prop. If others can safely handprop by finger friction on the back of the blade only, success to them, I could not safely accomplish this technique. As I stated earlier in this thread, I do not handprop engines I do not "know" - either because I have electric started them before, and know them to have decent starting characteristics, or it is the engine of a trusted friend - who themselves would handprop it. I do not wear gloves while handpropping.

I have never had a kickback while handpropping ('not saying it can't happen, but it's never happened to me). A hearty swing on a properly timed prop, carries it through forward well. My experience tells me that a good hand swing can get more starting effort into a prop than some starter arrangements.

[India Four Two]

Here's on interesting link on magnetos , it appears the non impulse coupled mag is sidelined during the starting processpb84,

Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard of that before. I'll have to look into the wiring of the 182 that I regularly fly.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I found with the Gypsy on the Chippy that I could prop it without curling my fingertips around the trailing edge of the blade. I just bent them a bit at the TE to give grip, but not bent so much as to be curled around the blade. The object being that if it kicks back it will not take you fingers with it.

The swinging action is a progressive but firm downward swing while stepping back and to the side. On a long stroke low compression engine like the Gypsy you only have to pull it over TDC and it will 'flop' round the rest of the half-revolution, bouncing to a stop between compressions if it doesn't fire.

Also, on the Gypsy, listen for the distinctive 'click' of the impulse mechanism on the RH mag. No click, it'll never start! I once arrived at Barton to find a ring of onlookers around our Chippy while a relatively new member of the group tried to swing it into life (one of the many periods in the aircraft's life when the battery / starter were u/s). He'd been at it for 3/4 hour solid and was knackered. I could hear as I approached, the absence of the 'click' (it's quite loud).

I invited him to have a breather while I whipped open the RH cowl, whacked the mag with a large spanner, and fastened the cowl again. It started first swing after that!

[India Four Two]

whacked the mag with a large spanner

You've reminded me of the days when my Mini wouldn't start because the SU electric fuel pump contacts had jammed - no click-click-click when I turned the ignition on.

People would look at me strangely when I leapt out with an engineer's hammer, lay down at the rear and proceeded to whack the underside of my car!