How would you deal with this?
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Brakes Parked.
Wheels Chocked.
Tie down ropes attached to both wings.
Swing prop down and away from body.
Pretty simple really. And for Monopole try "just walking away" when you are stuck out in the bush with a flat battery, thousands of miles away from civilisation.
Wheels Chocked.
Tie down ropes attached to both wings.
Swing prop down and away from body.
Pretty simple really. And for Monopole try "just walking away" when you are stuck out in the bush with a flat battery, thousands of miles away from civilisation.
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Step 1 - Know what you are doing and know what can go wrong.
Step 2 - If possible, have someone at the cockpit who knows what they are doing to retard the throttle, step on the brakes and kill the engine if necessary. (I know the feeling Whiskery.)
Step 2 - If possible, have someone at the cockpit who knows what they are doing to retard the throttle, step on the brakes and kill the engine if necessary. (I know the feeling Whiskery.)
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What a circus!
That dude hardly looks like he's "stuck out in the bush". Especially given the poor pax was supposed to be enjoying her first flight in a light aircraft, I'm sure a delay to put the battery on charge or perhaps swap it wouldn't have hurt.
To me, that prop swinging caper really needs to be a two person (pilots/engineers whatever) and ZERO PAX sort of a job...
I doubt they did a follow up story, but I'm guessing she dumped him and hasn't flown since?
To me, that prop swinging caper really needs to be a two person (pilots/engineers whatever) and ZERO PAX sort of a job...
I doubt they did a follow up story, but I'm guessing she dumped him and hasn't flown since?
how would i deal with this? bloody good question, let me think about it.
years ago i did about 6000hr in pistons mostly in remote areas. thought about it for a second once, in YSBK of all places but my wits got me in the end. stuff that, too many unhappy endings.
charter company procedures was something to the effect of 'forget about it, leave it for the black and white movies'.
years ago i did about 6000hr in pistons mostly in remote areas. thought about it for a second once, in YSBK of all places but my wits got me in the end. stuff that, too many unhappy endings.
charter company procedures was something to the effect of 'forget about it, leave it for the black and white movies'.
Last edited by hoss; 26th Mar 2009 at 12:04.
If I have to swing a prop, kick start a motorbike or push start a car, I will just walk away...... It's too much like hard work
DF.
If the thread question is pre-supposing you are already in the situation, before being flung off the strut, easy. Remove feet from ground. Support entire body from strut, and work inboard toward the fuselage. Invoke superpowers. Poo a little bit. Carefully put one foot on the step, invoke more superpowers, find a handhold, and in one smooth movement open the door against the propwash while moving body against the centripetal force in to the cabin-deftly and with dignity moving over the lady pax in a fluid motion - release the park brake when the a/c is pointing the correct way, open her up, get airborne, claim it's all pretty normal and nothing to be scared of, stop pooing, close door. 
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I hand swing one aircraft I fly as a matter of course (DH82) and have the utmost respect for this film. I have not yet come across a bad start and *always* start with the trottle at full idle and have a hand positioned to pull myself back over the wing in the "worst case senario" that somethign should go wrong. I am in easy access of the mags and thottle too. Hand swinging a prop that is at body height and not designed to have that happen is ludicrious. I shudder to think that people still try and do this today.
In this case there are many factors that mounted up on the poor guy trying to get his end away, maybe if there was a little more blood flow to his brain he would have realised his short comings. I never fly to impress anyone, and think that people who do should speak to the amount of "old timers" I have in their accounts, of this guy was "just flying over his newly wed wife etc".
I remember a good quote that someone else posted here some time ago. The regulations we fly by, whilst not always being as clear and straightforwards as we would like, are written in the blood of those that have gone before us, proceed with caution.
on second thoughts, I change my mind to Tark57's response.... all those years of training for the russian ballet I knew were going to come in handy someday!
In this case there are many factors that mounted up on the poor guy trying to get his end away, maybe if there was a little more blood flow to his brain he would have realised his short comings. I never fly to impress anyone, and think that people who do should speak to the amount of "old timers" I have in their accounts, of this guy was "just flying over his newly wed wife etc".
I remember a good quote that someone else posted here some time ago. The regulations we fly by, whilst not always being as clear and straightforwards as we would like, are written in the blood of those that have gone before us, proceed with caution.
on second thoughts, I change my mind to Tark57's response.... all those years of training for the russian ballet I knew were going to come in handy someday!
How would you deal with this?
Call the firies. Get them to run into the prop, and if aircraft catches fire, foam it.
Bit like falling out of your dinghy with the outboard going flat strap...on full lock. Very difficult to rectify without getting yourself run over as it comes around again, and again, and again...
Bit like falling out of your dinghy with the outboard going flat strap...on full lock. Very difficult to rectify without getting yourself run over as it comes around again, and again, and again...
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Interesting...
I hand start all the time with 1 particular aircraft I fly (no starter)... no big deal if you brief correctly and don't change what you do if you have a second person.. ie. I always start with chocks in even if someone is in the cockpit and take the engine panel off and inspect the Throttle linkage just to be sure something has not vibrated off and disconnected....
To answer the question of what would I do.... lie flat and if you can roll away from the aircraft.
I hand start all the time with 1 particular aircraft I fly (no starter)... no big deal if you brief correctly and don't change what you do if you have a second person.. ie. I always start with chocks in even if someone is in the cockpit and take the engine panel off and inspect the Throttle linkage just to be sure something has not vibrated off and disconnected....
To answer the question of what would I do.... lie flat and if you can roll away from the aircraft.
Nunc est bibendum
Someone got a piccie of the Uni SA aircraft that got shredded by a runaway aircraft at Parafield a few years back? I seem to recall it was a 'hand job' as well!
Never mind, just found it.
Never mind, just found it.
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There's nothing wrong with hand swinging a prop, but it just isn't done very much anymore and very, very few people are taught how to do it properly. DC-3's have been hand-started on occasions with a rope and a row of PNG 'volunteers'. Most aerodromes have other options available. There are precautions to take and if they aren't followed, either don't do it or expect the consequences.
Last edited by Lodown; 11th Apr 2009 at 16:23.
As lodown says, there is nothing wrong with hand-swinging provided it is done properly. This means by someone with appropriate training in hand-swinging.
I used to fly an aircraft that required hand-swinging (no electrical system) but also had no brakes. In addition to the cautions outlined above (chocks, tail tied etc), I would prime the engine and then switch the fuel off. That way, after it started I had time to get around to the cockpit and control things, and, if all was well and it was puttering away at idle, I could select the fuel on before it stopped. Alternatively, if something went wrong, I knew it would not run for very long before the fuel in the lines ran out.
I successfully did several cross countries alone, and started this way without incident.
I used to fly an aircraft that required hand-swinging (no electrical system) but also had no brakes. In addition to the cautions outlined above (chocks, tail tied etc), I would prime the engine and then switch the fuel off. That way, after it started I had time to get around to the cockpit and control things, and, if all was well and it was puttering away at idle, I could select the fuel on before it stopped. Alternatively, if something went wrong, I knew it would not run for very long before the fuel in the lines ran out.
I successfully did several cross countries alone, and started this way without incident.
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How would you deal with this?
I'd slip off the epaulettes and saunter away from the aircraft whistling a merry tune till I got to the car park. Drive the shortest route to another state (Preferably out west somewhere), burn the car, change my name and spend the rest of my days working as an itinerant hippy fruit picker under the alias John Smith.
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Is a film about of the exact same thing happening at a Mangalore airshow. If I recall a barricade brought proceedings to a halt. Not to forget the renegade pilotless Auster over Sydney that managed to out manoeuver the RAAF Meteors but was brought to a watery end by a Navy Sea Fury.
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Or this one... back before the boom that was!!
Runaway plane creates havoc at Darwin airport. 16/7/2002. ABC News Online
Tuesday, July 16, 2002. Posted: 14:21:07 (AEDT)
Runaway plane creates havoc at Darwin airport
Four aircraft have been damaged - three of them seriously - after a collision at the Darwin airport this morning.
A pilotless Cessna hit three other planes before coming to a stop.
The owner of two of the damaged aircraft, John Hardy, said the pilot was outside cranking the propeller or handstarting the aeroplane when it began to move.
Mr Hardy said the Cessna careered across the tarmac before crashing into two of his aircraft.
"He wasn't in the aeroplane but his three children were, which is pretty frightening and the aircraft engine sprung in to life and developed enough power to tear off down the taxiway," he said.
Mr Hardy said the aircraft came very close to becoming airborne.
"I think one wheel was off the ground and it was accelerating very quickly," he said.
Runaway plane creates havoc at Darwin airport. 16/7/2002. ABC News Online
Tuesday, July 16, 2002. Posted: 14:21:07 (AEDT)
Runaway plane creates havoc at Darwin airport
Four aircraft have been damaged - three of them seriously - after a collision at the Darwin airport this morning.
A pilotless Cessna hit three other planes before coming to a stop.
The owner of two of the damaged aircraft, John Hardy, said the pilot was outside cranking the propeller or handstarting the aeroplane when it began to move.
Mr Hardy said the Cessna careered across the tarmac before crashing into two of his aircraft.
"He wasn't in the aeroplane but his three children were, which is pretty frightening and the aircraft engine sprung in to life and developed enough power to tear off down the taxiway," he said.
Mr Hardy said the aircraft came very close to becoming airborne.
"I think one wheel was off the ground and it was accelerating very quickly," he said.
DC-3's have been hand-started on occasions with a rope and a row of PNG 'volunteers'
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Geez! There's no leverage at the dome. The prop doesn't have to turn far or fast at all. In the right spot, a movement of just a few centimetres on the prop, as slow or as fast as you like, will get the engine running. The little clockspring (can't remember the name at present) in the mag does all the work and develops the spark at just the right time. Prepared well and one spark is all it needs. Some pilots think they have to take the place of the starter motor. Try and put a lot of force into it and you run the risk of losing your balance.