Microlighters

Of flying, the thing I fear the most is my running prop on the ground, in the air it is my friend, but on the gound it is lethal force not to be under estimated.

The latest accident confirms the danger of a running prop. If running it seems to become more invisable.

People cannot understand why I take so much care and precaution around my trike when the prop is running while doing warm ups, ground tests, etc.

Take care around your running prop while on the ground.

I aggree - we often run our engines on the ground to check something (after adjusting prop pitch, servicing carbs etc.) and it is easy to focus on the engine/revcounter and "forget" about that lethal disk spinning in the back that is looking to ingest anything even remotely close by.

Recently helping a friend put on new air filters (As the previous ones were washed in fuel - AA recommended we change them because of this practice) we wanted to see what the static RPM will increase to as they were supposedly more open with "unswelled" fibres. The prop sucked the piece of cellophane wrapping in -made an almighty bang and then circulated it around the hanger for a second pass through the prop - same bang. Needless to say it woke me up!

An unattended plane with the engine running or someone hand starting a plane with no-one experienced enough to cut the motor sitting in it are my two pet hates.

I have, or more accurately, my previous plane and my bakkie were innocent victims of a hand propped runway plane.

Also you often get little ones and dogs running around and I shudder to think of the consequences

Be careful guys, if you are going to do runups, static tests etc then tie the chassis to a car tow bar or something.

Or push the nose up on a hangar wall where it can't run anywhere.

I have a mate who ended up on crutches for a year after being involved with a runaway aircraft. Also know of one other that totalled an aircraft.

So with all these known incidents and accidents, WHY has there not been a change?

In trikes there is almost no real reason for an aircraft to be operated without someone capable in the pilot seat.

Talking about hand propping & chocking, I take Morphs feelings to heart.

When we lost Martha, the Fokker, RVForker was at the controls whilst I hand propped the 447. There was no danger & it was relatively easy.

The only other aerie I have hand propped was my 235. That is scary. This is a 8.7 litre horizontally opposed 6 cylinder beast, with a massive Hartzell cs prop on front. The battery was flat because I had not flown for 3 months. I WAS ALONE, 1st mistake. I did have chocks for the nose gear & I chocked the mains with bricks. The handbrake was also on & is effective. I owned this aircraft for 700 hrs & knew her like the back of my hand. I primed as usual & cracked the throttle as usual, turned on the mags & got myself into position to hand prop her. I had placed the blade just before ignition at 10 to 2. She fired after the 4th attempt & settled down to about 1300rpm, I reduced rpm to 1000 & leaned her out, checked the brakes & removed the chocks etc & taxied out.

Now the what if.

I was parked outside Ken Jones glass hangar at rand facing west on the taxiway. There were numerous aeries parked on both sides of the taxiway. Had I cracked the throttle a bit wider, that big engine throws back plenty air & the brakes had failed, the aerie may have climbed over the chocks. The wing is big & I would have had to runaround & catch up & climb onto the wing. The door would have either slammed shut or would be hanging closed due to the prop wash. It would have taken be a good few seconds to shut her down etc which would be more than enough time to have had a serious accident.

I will never hand prop an aerie again unless there is a competent pilot at the controls, thanks Morph.