Propping An Airplane To Start The Engine
| Field | Aviation |
| Went Obsolete | An approximation of when the skill was made obsolete |
| Made Obsolete By | Electric starters, compressed-air starters, “shotgun” type cartridge starters |
| Knowledge Assumed | How to turn over an engine using the propeller without losing fingers in the event of backfire or losing head when engine starts |
| When useful | Antique airplanes, model airplanes, small airplanes with four cylinders (or less) if you're stranded with a dead battery… |
Requires two people - one to sit at the controls to reduce throttle after engine starts and stand on the brakes, one to spin the prop. Steps are
1. Have the person sitting in the cockpit stand on the brakes, set mixture full rich, throttle about 1” advanced from idle, turn on magnetos.
2. Standing in front of the engine on the downward rotation side of the prop, hold the prop roughly horizontal (more or less depending on height) towards the tip with both hands - do not wrap fingers over trailing edge or thumbs over leading edge of blade, just have the pads of your fingertips past the trailing edge.
3. Swing one knee up, then in one motion pull the prop down and take a step back with the leg you swung.
4. Repeat steps 2 to 3 as necessary.
5. When engine starts the pilot should reduce the throttle to idle.
- Still used, still useful. Not obsolete.
