Reminder about propeller hazards in aviation...

[ZRX61]

Got a nice scar from a B25 as a reminder.... although the prop was being turned by hand at the time.. caused by a guy who couldn't reliably count to 12...Lots of claret, no stitches & a very concerned owner inquiring if I got any blood on his aircraft

[andyman64]

if the media gets hold of this they will be calling for the end of propeller driven aircraft!

[cooper9411]

The media is making a big deal about having tried to contact the pilot numerous times and they can't get a response. Well duh, the guy is probably really shaken up. The media doesn't know when to say when.

[Canso42]

Prop safety cannot be emphasized enough and this proves it. Prop safety is a major item at Lone Star and we watch out for each other. I too walk around even still props-just staying in the safety mindset.
My dad was a WWII Naval airman and he vehemently told me "ALWAYS be aware of EVERY prop ALL THE TIME!" ( Emphases are his.)
Another way I've heard it said is that "props have an absolute 100% win record."

[the330thbg]

Would you not LOVE to get a hold of this person for a few moments?

xxchicagobadboyxx6:38 PM EST
Dec 10, 2011 The entire small plane pilot industry is fraught with lack of regulation. Any loser can get a pilot's license with minimal effort, and it's evidence is something like this. She got in a small plane without any knowledge of this pilot's experience or education, just that he had a pilot's license.We require years of training before we put our lives into a commercial airline pilot. The same standards should apply. Every day we hear about some small plane going down or some mishap. Obviously, we are allowing pilots to declare themselves fit to fly with minimal hoops or training.

[Obergrafeter]

What do you expect .........................from Chicago!
Signed: Just another loser.

Last edited by Obergrafeter on Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

[67Cougar]

Local news today reported the young lady is walking without assistance, and has been able to start eating. They are being very careful with any details, as they should be, for her privacy.

[PropsRule]

Great news that she's getting better. That's a very lucky person.

It's been mentioned in earlier posts to this thread, but I will repeat it in case it helps one person reading this to stay alive: Never walk through the propeller arc of an airplane, even when the engine isn't running. Over the years, I've walked "the long way around" even when the plane is in the hangar. I've walked outside of the prop arc on airplanes that have had the propellers removed for maintenance. It may seem ridiculous, but it's all in preparation for the time when it's dark and cold out, pouring rain, and I just need to run up to the flight deck to turn something on/turn something off/do some paperwork/whatever. If I walk outside the prop arc without thinking, I (hopefully) won't walk through it without thinking.

[Russ Blow]

Before my first lesson my CFI told me " treat every prop the same way you would treat a loaded gun because they can do the same damage " .

[cco23i]

We landed in Rota Spain for fuel and as I was prepping the aircraft for the fuel truck I looked over in time to see a C-130 ground crewman walk forward into the prop. Yup, that'll make you remember NOT to walk NEAR a prop.

Scott

[the330thbg]

One of our 330th veterans recounted a time where a journalist was staging a shot and told a couple of this man's crew to turn the prop a couple of times like they did prior to start-up.

What these guys did not realize is that this particular aircraft was fresh back from a flight.

The mags were hot, the #3 engine kicked over after a one blade pull and threw the man up against the fuselage. As he slid back down into a spinning prop he was tossed around even more.

He survived, but back in the states recovering the remainder of the war.

[67Cougar]

from the local news this morning ... surgeons removed the young lady's left eye yesterday, but they and the family were reportedly excited as to how well the surgery went, and how well she is recovering.

[cooper9411]

Would you not LOVE to get a hold of this person for a few moments?

xxchicagobadboyxx6:38 PM EST
Dec 10, 2011 The entire small plane pilot industry is fraught with lack of regulation. Any loser can get a pilot's license with minimal effort, and it's evidence is something like this. She got in a small plane without any knowledge of this pilot's experience or education, just that he had a pilot's license.We require years of training before we put our lives into a commercial airline pilot. The same standards should apply. Every day we hear about some small plane going down or some mishap. Obviously, we are allowing pilots to declare themselves fit to fly with minimal hoops or training.

Sounds like another "expert" on everything!

[67Cougar]

I find it amazing that someone would interject a negative about the lack of training for civilian pilots into this thread. The pilot didn't do this. The pilot was still in the aircraft, going through the process of shutting it down. The pilot didn't walk into the prop. The pilot didn't force or entice the young lady to walk into the prop. What exactly did the pilot's training or lack of training have to do with this?

[Obergrafeter]

It has been a few days since the "expert" posted his rant, there must have been at least 20 planes flown by undertrained idiots fall out of the sky in the mean time.