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Unusual Attitudes: Propellers, Tattoos and Rope Tricks

A DC-3 is easier to hand-prop than you might guess.
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The author strongly advises against hand-propping modern, tricycle-gear aircraft with high-compression engines, criticizing examiners who suggest it due to the extreme danger of accidental starts and severe injury.
  • It highlights the critical importance of strict safety protocols for all propeller aircraft, such as ensuring magnetos are grounded and removing ignition keys, to prevent tragic accidental engine firings.
  • The article contrasts the dangers of propping small aircraft with historical anecdotes of hand-propping or assisted starts (e.g., rope starts) for larger, older piston aircraft like the DC-3, acknowledging different methods and contexts.
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How my confreres come up with ideas for their columns I have no idea, but the process is probably more studied and logical than mine. This may seem oblique, but I’ve been thinking about propellers since recently deciding it was time to quit talking and take action. So I presented myself at ­”Mother’s,” a tattoo emporium in Covington, Kentucky, where a nice guy named Brett etched little wings just below my waistline in back (known in some circles, I believe, as a “tramp stamp”). They looked great but we agreed the design lacked something. After three minutes of exhaustive thought and consultation, Brett added a propeller, and now, yes, it’s perfect. I’d show you but I don’t think the magazine would publish the picture.

Note: I totally understand if you stop reading this right now because, well, maybe you only fly jets or maybe you disapprove of girls with tattoos … as does my family.

Martha Lunken

Martha Lunken is a lifelong pilot, former FAA inspector and defrocked pilot examiner. She flies a Cessna 180 and anything with a tailwheel, from Cubs to DC-3s.

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