[f-AA] Handpropped - pilotless takeoff

[Larry Waggoner]

Tony is bringing an excellent point forward. "Know your airplane." Many
of us will go to "Flight Safety" each year for a couple of weeks just to
refresh knowledge of the airplane. The insurance usually requires this.
We come home and jump in a little Aeronca and basicically do not know our
airplane. When we first brought 4646E home last March  (It has
electrics) my partners and I pulled it it out, chained the tail down, 
throttle off 2 pull thru's, hot and it started.
 We found last month under colder conditions, 3 pull thrus was
sufficient. We did this so we might know what it would take if hand
proping was needed.

It is good to know as much as possible about the heavy iron, and as my
old instructors stated, know every thing about the cub as well, from best
climbs, best glides, stall speed, landing speeds, trims, cross winds
etc.  If one will learn all this on our little Aeronca's, it will carry
over to any other aircraft we might fly. (Just my opinion of
course.Should not be taken as "Gospel" <G>)  Larry

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Markl
  To: aeronca at westmont.edu
  Subject: Re: [f-AA] Handpropped - pilotless takeoff
  Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 07:24:30 -0500

FWIW This is the usual story and all starts when you have flooded the
engine because of not knowing how much fuel it wants.  OMO.  Prime by
pulling blades and counting how many it wants for starting.  Mine wants 6
in summer and 12-15 in winter and Starts reliably.   Folks who are
nervous about touching the prop so many times prefer to use the primer
for priming and this is much harder to measure fuel with. Each story like
this puts us all that much closer to extinction on propping.  The number
of folks who are hit by the airplane is greater than the number who are
hit by the prop. Fly frequently, many times, often, over and over again,
and LOOK around,and use really safe propping procedures. Regards,
Tony Markl

  ----- Original Message ----- From: Steve LawlorTo:
  aeronca at westmont.eduSent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 9:59 PMSubject:
  Re: [f-AA] Handpropped - pilotless takeoff
  Todd,
  A good friend propped her champ after clearing a flooded engine. The
  throttle was full on. She dove for the throttle as the aircraft
  lurched
  over the chocks. The old rope on the tail snapped when pulled tight.
  The
  champ went straight across the runway, over an embankment, and down
  into
  trees, dragging her all of the way. Fifteen thousand dollars later
  the
  plane is flying again. She had to wait for a collar bone and possibly
  a
  rib to mend. She's a little more careful now.
  Steve Lawlor     It was 72 Tue. and now it's 18deg F  BRRRRR!


  Todd Pattist wrote:

  >Hi all,
  >
  >The subject of aircraft stability has come up and I'm interested in
  >cases where an airplane, like my Champ, has been handpropped without
  a
  >proper tiedown and has gone to full throttle and escaped.  I recall
  some
  >cases where the airplane takes off, but I can't recall all the
  details
  >of what type aircraft, or exactly how far away it flew.  Can anyone
  fill
  >me in, possibly giving me a link to an accident report or just
  firsthand
  >recollection.  How far can our airplanes fly without a pilot?  To
  fuel
  >exhaustion?  Or just to a spiral-in crash at the far end of the
  runway?
  >
  >Thanks for any info.
  >Todd
  >_______________________________________________
  >Aeronca mailing list
  >Aeronca at westmont.edu
  >http://mail.westmont.edu/mailman/listinfo/aeronca
  >
  >
  >
  > 
  >

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