Take one more step and I will Kill.....my engine

[cornfieldflyer]

It was a very nice evening and I was looking forward to some nice flying for this late in the year. Just as I am heading out to my plane a friend stops by. We talked a little and he said he would like to take some pics sometime of me flying my plane.

I told him he was in luck for I was just heading out to do a little flying. He thought this was great and off we headed to the hangar.

I went over my preflight explaining everything I do to keep my focused from my friends distractions. After a very detailed walk around I gave my friend instructions on how or from what direction I would take off, I also went over a flight plane with him so he knew what I would do after take off.

My friend said great he would go where I stated and take pics. I climbed into my bird and get all settled in, yell clear prop and fire her up.

As I am setting there warming her up and getting ready for my flight I see my friend walk around and in front of my wing. I am waving my arms and yelling but he see's none of it for looking at his camera. He believes I am doing this for the camera. I reach for the kill switch. I hold onto that kill switch knowing this friend is going to step into this prop.

As I sit thier I watch one foot go foward and I kill the engine, my friend walks right into the prop arc. Now I have the canopy open and am yelling at him to step back and never walk into a prop. We both where really lucky that prop stopped by the time he reached it.

You know what, he really never got it. I could see it on his face. He had no idea why I was upset, he just smiled. I have not spoke with him since, for he drove off after I took off, but the first time I see him, lets just say I am chewing his A## and teaching him something at the same time, for he wants to come and take pics again sometime.

Lesson I learned from this:
If friends come by to watch you fly, do not start your plane until they are away from your hangar out where you want them to watch from.

Going over your flight plan is not enough, one must explain the most simple things, like do not walk into a moving prop. I told him at the time never walk in front of a planes wings when the engine is running but it needs to go deeper then that.

What I hold as com-in-cents some just do not see it that way.

This happened two days ago.


Tony

[rsteele]

I saw someone walk into a prop. In this case the passenger exited he plane with the engine still running and walked forward right into the prop. Fortunately it was a small engine and a wooden prop that shattered. This was a few years ago and I still get chills thinking about it. You see someone doing it, and your brain just can't process fast enough to even comprehend what's happening. I was too far away to warn her anyway, but it's got to be one of worst feelings in aviation.

Glad you were able to prevent a tragedy.

Helen, do you know what happened to the girl that walked into the prop during the CSP picnic?

Ron

[ct4me]

One reason to love a Rotax... when you hit the switch it goes OFF! Bam!

[FastEddieB]

I was born and raised in Washington, DC.

The Armed Forces Museum of Pathology was downtown somewhere and open to the public.

Very interesting place in a morbid sort of way. Its where you would go to see what a 12 ga round to the head would do. That sort of thing. I'm sure there are online sources for that these days, but this was well before the internet.

I still have seared into my brain a photo of someone who had walked face first into helicopter's tail rotor.

My prop would be a little harder to walk into (a pusher prop mounted high), but thank you for the head's up - we probably don't think about that particular danger often enough.

[theskunk]

I had flown into 9A9 in the sportcruiser to have dinner with my family one afternoon, who of course wanted to come see the plane.

We had the 'safety discussion' essentially treating the propeller like it was turning at ALL times. I re-enforced it with the kids of the bunch, who all listened and minded perfectly well. The adults on the other hand (my uncle and aunt in particular) just didn't seem to get it and kept touching things. I made them all go stand behind this line of benches that were a solid 30 feet away from where the plane was while I did my final walk around, and of course let all the kids sit in the cockpit

This is a lesson that my instructor instilled upon me, as he had a hand attempt to get eaten by a hand start -- as much as i have been yelled at for simply doing my walk around and walking through the prop arc, I feel like any student I ever have (should I get my CFI-S) I'll be doing the exact same thing.

[drseti]

(should I get my CFI-S)

You really should, Skunk. What are you waiting for?