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OK folks,

Thank you all for your copious input on Brian Mouchemore's worries about propellers. I hope we all now have a greater awareness, and with these last three anecdotes, I now consider the topic closed.

Yours,

A recent Fatal accident report in USA describes how a person, whilst pulling a Cessna 172 by the prop, had it mags fire starting the engine and killing the person.

I move my aeroplane by pulling by the prop as it's the only way to move the thing solo without hurting my back, BUT I now have a soft covered cable lock wrapped around prop and through the manifold that prevents the prop being rotated.

I do this not only for current security measures but to keep it safe from unsuspecting children/people who may wander past and like to move the prop.

My crafty escape from the dangers of prop swinging came about from the fact that after 50 plus years of the latter with no noticeable injuries sustained (with the exception of severe arthritis) I consider that having been brought up in the era of Armstrong starters the dangers were slowly eliminated through experience (if you were lucky enough to survive).

Please stop all this dangerous talk about propellers, stalls, spins & forced landings. It's making me so nervous I pee.

Let me explain: It was only the other night someone asked me to start their Tiger, we did all the "Prime, Suck in, Switches off and wind" bit, then re-positioned the prop for a start and it did!! Whacked me in the face and out cold. When I came to I was sitting on the floor, there was blood on the back of the bedroom door and my PJ's were wet.

Stop it. the nightmares are too much.

Bob Grimstead
SABC Safety Committee