Safety!
H&S Propeller cannot over-emphasize the importance of safety around your propeller. We have been taught to treat every installed propeller as a loaded gun, which could go off at any time. While turning the propeller of your aircraft, the whole engine drive train is turning as well. If there happens to be a small amount of fuel in the intake/ fuel injector, and the magneto switch is on-or the magneto’s are not properly grounded, a small movement of the propeller MAY CAUSE THE ENGINE TO FIRE!!! We have seen this in the past, and want to pass along how important these warnings are. If you must turn the propeller, ensure: 1) Magneto switch(s) are OFF. 2) Master switch is turned off. 3) Throttle and Mixture controls are pulled into idle and cut-off positions. 4) Ensure parking brake is set, and wheels are chalked. 5) The area around propeller is clear of persons and objects.We feel the best way to turn the propeller is OPPOSITE the direction of normal rotation. There is much debate on how this is best done, but we feel this is the safest way to ensure the magnetos do not fire. Another bit of information we would like to share is to be careful while performing your pre-flight inspection…. While pre-flighting the aircraft, we are taught to run our (bare)hands up one side of propeller, and down the other side. Please be careful while doing this. A few customers have reported being cut due to a sharp edge sticking out, which they did not see-and occurred sometime after last flight, and just blindly ran their hands up and down the propeller. Please use your eyes as well, and watch where you are rubbing. It is good to notice a jagged nick in leading edge of prop, but not at the expense of an emergency room visit!
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