Hand propping procedures

[V529]

Some things have to be seen to be believed
https://youtu.be/Ecosb5mSDwo

I love that video.............

[rlnichol]

I give two shots of prime, throttle at idle or at fast idle, mags on. It starts on third prop 98% of the time. In the grass, it does not roll. On hard surface, I set the parking brake.

[6930]

This one has made the rounds before but is always worth watching again. Whatever this guy did, DONT do that!

https://youtu.be/AeTM-paAXCo

Mike

[c180guy]

I've hand propped maybe a couple dozen times in my lifetime and I've always had my head on a swivel (very alert) when doing so, especially big cubic inch engines! Never been one of my favorite things to do.

With that said, last year I was visiting friends that own the local maintenance shop. The son had just started a Supercub with an O-320 engine using a little device called a Gooloo (that's just a brand name). The S.cub didn't even have a battery hooked up to the engine.

The Gooloo they used was one of the small ones. Maybe the size of two packs of cigarettes laid side by side and I imagine weighs about the same as a regular handheld radio.

I now own several Gooloo's as of last year and always keep one in my truck and one in my car. They last a good three months before they need a topped off charge. They charge using a typical USB charger and I actually use my non-apple, android cable charger sometimes.

This Christmas I bought five more as gifts through Amazon and paid a little under $40 for each one. Theyre small enough you can store them in most glove boxes.

I've used them to start my Continental O-470 a couple of times this past year.

Funny side story, but the son had tried to load a car onto a car trailer and ended up having a dead winch battery. Although there was nothing to start, he hooked up his Gooloo to see if it would winch the car. He ended up winching it clear up onto the trailer. He showed me the aftermath of the device. It buckled and melted the plastic housing/case and he said it was so hot they could hardly handle it. They're probably lucky it didn't explode or at least catch on fire. lol They're made for monetarily producing high amps for short durations, not long heavy amp loads.

[7677]

I've probably started our non-electric 120 over 1000 times over the years. And I do it from behind. I truly believe it's safer.. I have my left hand on the strut, and can easily swing the prop with my right, I feel it's much more stable, and I can just duck under the strut, moving away from the propeller, and walk around the back of the plane to get in. I've just never felt comfortable doing it from the front.

[6930]

I've probably started our non-electric 120 over 1000 times over the years. And I do it from behind. I truly believe it's safer.. I have my left hand on the strut, and can easily swing the prop with my right, I feel it's much more stable, and I can just duck under the strut, moving away from the propeller, and walk around the back of the plane to get in. I've just never felt comfortable doing it from the front.

I could see where doing it this way in a 120/140 might be an option...certainly some value to being behind the prop instead of in front of it! I've done it this way in Cubs where, because of the tandem seating and location of the cockpit door and struts, it is real easy to get at the throttle without having to do any walk around to get past the struts or the door as with a 120/140. The other down side from propping from the back in a 120/140 is (as you certainly know) that you are starting the engine from the pax side which requires a walk around the entire airplane to get in. Not so with a Cub, of course.

I think another disadvantage with rear propping (any airplane) is that you can't really use the flat of your hand to pull through and end up with finger tips over the trailing edge of the prop. I think that is something generally to be avoided.

I've hand propped a lot of planes including my 140. But, when I'm alone (don't tell the FAA) I do it from the front with the tail securely tied down and a wheel chock in place on the pilot side. I always carry tie down ropes in my plane for tie down purposes and in the event I need to do the hand prop thing. I'll only do it with a dead battery and would prefer not to do it even then because charging a dead battery with the aircraft electrical system can really beat up a battery. At least, that is my understanding.

Anyway, interesting to hear other perspectives on this. I've often wondered if anyone hand props 120/140's from the back. Thanks for sharing.

Mike

[a64pilot]

Neighbor has a Baby Ace which can only be hand propped.
He has what I believe to be a banner tow hook, it holds the airplane secure until he is in the cockpit and pulls the lever to release the rope.

If you go to get your Seaplane rating at Browns, they hand prop all the Cub’s from the rear. Tough to hand prop an airplane on floats from the front

[6643]

...I do it from behind. I truly believe it's safer.. I have my left hand on the strut, and can easily swing the prop with my right...

I considered doing that, once. I felt claustrophobic confined to the space between the whirling meat cleaver and the lift strut. I feel much more comfortable doing it from the front.

[6183]

...I do it from behind. I truly believe it's safer.. I have my left hand on the strut, and can easily swing the prop with my right...

I considered doing that, once. I felt claustrophobic confined to the space between the whirling meat cleaver and the lift strut. I feel much more comfortable doing it from the front.

One of these days when we're sitting around the campfire or at convention remind me to tell you the story of how an engine started on me when I moved the propeller to the 10 o'clock position for propping. Switch was in the off position, and a pilot was at the controls with brakes on, and the darn thing started. Bottom line, mag switch had a faulty ground wire. I take a different view on my handling of propellers now, I just got complacent, and should have been more careful. Sure cleaned the plaque out of my arteries on that one.

[c180guy]

I didn't witness it, but I saw the aftermath shortly after someone had hand propped a tri-pacer that wasn't tied down and had a little to much throttle applied.

It did a nice 180 degree arch and ran head on into the airplane tied down next to it.

The sad part is, it was in a tie down space that could have used the tie down ropes to secure it.