Lynn Nelsen wrote:
> Hey Ed: As I have stated previously, you can hook up > directly to the battery at the starter terminal. I have jump > started several coupes using that terminal as well as > charging their batteries using the same connection. If > you are not shutting the aircraft down after starting, > one must be EXTREMELY CAREFUL when closing the > cowling because of the ROTATING propeller. Lynn and Prof. Ed, IMHO, it's safer to hand prop the plane IF YOU USE THE PROPER TECHNIQUE than unhooking the jumper cables from the starter and closing the cowl next to a spinning propeller. And, it's true, the low-front Coupes are a lot harder to hand prop than a bigger plane or a tail-dragger. On the other hand, the little Continentals usually start pretty easily. They were developed in the era of hand-propping, after all. The proper technique was taught to me by an older, hand-prop expert and guys like him are getting scarce. Key elements are: 1. You don't hook your knuckle over the prop because a back kick could break your fingers or worse. You use friction against the front side. (I like using gloves, if possible, since just the edges of my finger pads go a tiny amount over the prop trailing edge and the gloves pad this.) 2. You plant your left leg ahead of the prop and swing your right leg in a BIG arc back and to your left as you pull down the prop. Ideally, your leg swing and body motion should MAKE you step back and to the side quite a ways and make it impossible to fall into the prop. Even if the plane moves forward and you stumble and fall, you should be to the side, away from the prop so the moving plane can't chop you. 3. You REALLY NEED a rated pilot or mechanic in the plane to hold the brake and chop power if the plane gets away. At least once, a Coupe took off with a non-pilot inside during a hand-propping incident. We know it happened once because the non-pilot got down alive. How many times it happened with a bad outcome, I don't know. Planes get away when hand propped without a qualified person at the controls. This technique is a lot more work than just reaching in and flinging the prop but it's a LOT safer. If the engine doesn't start, you have to walk forward, get set, and do another big swing. If it doesn't start immediately, it can be tiring. But, never, never, NEVER get lazy on your technique! With this technique, I'd a lot rather hand-prop than use Lynn's method. JMHO Ed Burkhead http://edburkhead.com/Ercoupe/index.htm East Peoria, Illinois ed -at- edburk???head.??com (remove the ? marks and change -at- to @)
