How To Prop A Stearman

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:49 pm

Brakes on, mags off, pull prop through, mixture rich, prime, Mags and.............

Pull and grunt and jerk and sweat :shock:

Get that leg up boy :shock:

note the follow through with arm extention for a perfect 10/10. Good job JCW!!

Holedigger · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 8:56 pm

....and step back NOT FORWARDS, important LAST STEP, your choice! :shock:

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11330

Stearmans are easy to prop. The prop is at about the exact right height.

I'm not sure I would wrap my fingers around the trailing edge of the prop though.

You swing your leg mostly to put your momentum to work pulling you away from the prop arc, not because you need any extra strength to turn the prop.

Is that a Stearman in Flying Tigers markings in the back of first shot?

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:15 pm

Nationalist Chinese marking's and has won a number of trophys.
Jeff A's about 5 miles SE of me.

wacoykc · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:29 pm

Yep....quickest way to loose fingers is to wrap your hands around the prop. Try that with a Warner or Kinner and you are sure to get hurt!

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:37 pm

I wasn't intending to start a proping debate but after 40 years of doing it he's still got all 10 fingers so he's doing something right and with the Kinner to!.
I proped his Bird once and it didn't start. Standing there and looking at it the sucker just took off and ran :shock:

I proped a Chipmunk once and that was just weird and felt off balance doing it!
Ken Morley proped his SNJ once and that was impressive to see. The biggest engine I've ever seen proped!

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:48 pm

Have hand prop'd a 985 with a Hartzell................dont ask to see pics, there are not any.

retroaviation · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:49 am

The two most awkward airplanes I've hand propped are the T-6 and an Extra 300L. :shock:

Gary

hahnej · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:58 am

How do you hand prop without putting you fingers over the prop? How do you do it?

Fouga23 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:20 am

And dummy question: What's the use of hand propping an engine? And for an Extra 300L. Don't those things have starter motors? Don't know anything about round engine thingies, Just think they look cool as coffe tables :p

Airplanejunkie · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:23 am

Masterful demonstration of the operation of a "Hemingway Starter*."

I think the airplane I most hated propping was a STA Special. That C-4S was a pain in the rear: it kicked back hard and a lot. Being the "bottom feeder" at the time at the airport where it was based, I seemed to draw that duty every time the owner wanted to fly.....

I don't care for "backwards engines" on the European stuff either. I can do it safely, but get no points for style....

Steve

* As in "A Farewell to Arms"

retroaviation · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 9:59 am

Fouga23 wrote:

And dummy question: What's the use of hand propping an engine? And for an Extra 300L. Don't those things have starter motors? Don't know anything about round engine thingies, Just think they look cool as coffe tables :p

The Extra has a cheap plastic firewall fitting for the heavy starter wire to go through (why they didn't just put the starter relay in front of the firewall is beyond me). So, after a few years of time, the plastic eventually melted, causing the cable to touch the stainless steel firewall, thus making the starter inop. Naturally, we didn't know that was the issue until after a fair amount of troubleshooting was done though, as the symptoms initally just pointed to the starter itself.

This particular airplane used to have hard starting issues, especially when hot, so we suspect that's what caused the plastic to melt over time. Anyway we solved the hard starting problem by adding a "shower of sparks" unit to the aircraft and it typically would start on the first or second blade when hot. Soooooo, in one of those instances where we needed to get going (I believe we were trying to get home before weather set in later in the day), the starter quit working, so I thought I'd give it propping it a try. With the pilot in place, and the normal starting procedure being done (other than me swinging on the prop), it was really a non-event. There is no way, however, that I'd try that on any fuel injected opposed engine that didn't have either impulse couplings on the mags or this hot little shower of sparks set up. Also, I knew this plane and it's habits very well, so the comfort factor of propping it was way up there. Had this been an airplane I wasn't familiar with, I likely wouldn't have tried it.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

Gary

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:09 am

retroaviation wrote:

Fouga23 wrote:

And dummy question: What's the use of hand propping an engine? And for an Extra 300L. Don't those things have starter motors? Don't know anything about round engine thingies, Just think they look cool as coffe tables :p

The Extra has a cheap plastic firewall fitting for the heavy starter wire to go through (why they didn't just put the starter relay in front of the firewall is beyond me). So, after a few years of time, the plastic eventually melted, causing the cable to touch the stainless steel firewall, thus making the starter inop. Naturally, we didn't know that was the issue until after a fair amount of troubleshooting was done though, as the symptoms initally just pointed to the starter itself.

This particular airplane used to have hard starting issues, especially when hot, so we suspect that's what caused the plastic to melt over time. Anyway we solved the hard starting problem by adding a "shower of sparks" unit to the aircraft and it typically would start on the first or second blade when hot. Soooooo, in one of those instances where we needed to get going (I believe we were trying to get home before weather set in later in the day), the starter quit working, so I thought I'd give it propping it a try. With the pilot in place, and the normal starting procedure being done (other than me swinging on the prop), it was really a non-event. There is no way, however, that I'd try that on any fuel injected opposed engine that didn't have either impulse couplings on the mags or this hot little shower of sparks set up. Also, I knew this plane and it's habits very well, so the comfort factor of propping it was way up there. Had this been an airplane I wasn't familiar with, I likely wouldn't have tried it.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

Gary

Good post gary!!!
When I worked for a banner tow outfit in fla, we had dual couplings on both mags so it really made starting the cubs easy. We did that from behind the prop. Only when we bolted a O-540 to a PA-18 did hand prop issues arise. Since the firing position of the blade you were pulling would change , we would need to pull it through and get it back into the cycle where the prop would be down by your knee when the impulse snapped. We eventually (about a month) put a light weight starter on it. That being said, I still considered it easier to prop then the 985 that I did with the 3rd blade on it. :roll:

mustanglover · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:21 am

retroaviation wrote:

The two most awkward airplanes I've hand propped are the T-6 and an Extra 300L. :shock:

Gary

Easiest for me was the Mooney Mite, learned to hand prop when I was 11 or 12 years old.

Most awkward was the Miller Special "Pushy Cat". On your knees behind the airplane.....get prop set, and swing the prop through (short prop didn't help any) and ZIIINNG there you are, your face inches from a prop at 2K rpm.

N3Njeff · **Posted:** Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:12 pm

Ive been doing this one for many years now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umDY2eqs ... re=channel

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How To Prop A Stearman

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