In the movies someone usually pushes the propellor blade down. In this photo it appears the prop is being pulled up, and that a second person assists by ??pulling the first person out of harm's way?
I don't know. The photographer captured a curious moment in time.
(Found at Vintage Photographs)
Addendum: I realized while I was eating dinner (and "Leah" has already pointed out in the comments) that my use of "up" and "down" is dependent on which side of the plane the assistant is on (and frankly this guy could have started on the other side and come all the way across). I should have phrased it as starting the prop counterclockwise vs. clockwise.
None of this is very important; but it's still a curious photo.
Second addendum: Received a definitive answer from a relative who is a pilot and air traffic controller:
It is a WWI British (USA built them, too, and flew them long after the war with the air mail service) De Havilland DH-4. The prop spins clockwise (from the pilot view). They are pulling it up because they can't reach the tip of the upper blade to pull down on it. The second guy could be both pulling the other out of harm's way or adding extra power.
Haha. You'll notice that by the man in the photo pulling the right side of the prop UP, the left side is going DOWN... so you could just as effectively push the left hand side down. I'd wager that you just have to spin the prop anti-clockwise, and whether that's up or down depends on which side you're standing on :P
ReplyDeleteit would be safer to do as pictured. if pulling down, one could onstensibly fall into the prop more readily, and you certainly couldn't use a "puller/assistant" as effectively.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the 'assistant was a ground???
ReplyDeleteI think the negative was reversed when the print was made. Try looking at its mirror image.
ReplyDelete