The term “Cracked and Contact” refers to the throttle and the engine’s ignition switch positions. ”Cracked” means no more than a pencil width open on the throttle. If the plane won’t start with this much fuel, I’m not about to fly it.  “Contact” refers to having the ignition switch made.

This is no game and many people have been seriously injured (and killed) doing this incorrectly. Standing straight-up in front of the prop and bending forward to “flip” or push the prop down places your head directly in line of the next blade coming ’round. That’s bad. Grabbing the prop – fingers over back edge – usually sends digits flying in various directions if/when the engine kicks back much the same way a kick-start motorcycle jams your leg instead of starting on the first try. Also bad.

The safe and only continuous way to prop is to place your hands flat on the front surface of the blades, keeping your fingers from wrapping over and thumbs tucked snuggly against the sides of the hands. It may not sound like you’ll get enough grip to start an engine this way but remember the prop is pitched and you’ll have plenty of downward force.

Here’s where you commit. Keeping your right leg straight, lift it across and in front of your left (opposite for Russian engines) in such a way that you’re entirely off balance and actually falling away from the blades and to the right. Pull down and through with your arms as you go. No hesitation allowed once you start.

Doing it this way uses your body’s momentum to keep its upper section away from the spinning prop, and moves you away from standing directly in front of the shredder should the plane lurch forward because said pilot had the controls “slightly more” than cracked or had his foot slip off the brake. Continue in the direction of the fall, away from the business end of the plane, go around back, and enter the cockpit as usual.

I took the video by putting the camera on a fence post near a grass strip in Delaware and letting it run. When I got back from a couple of hours poking various shaped holes in the sky, I picked-up my camera from exactly where I left it and put it in the bag.  Here’s 13 secs from the original post, reformatted since it quit working when we transferred from the old FlyingMelons website. 

Enjoy!

As a matter of fact, my piloting experience had thus far been limited to traditional, side-by-side Pipers and
Cessna 150’s & 172’s. I’ve read that the tandem seating arrangement of the Aeroncas doesn’t leave you with that
“man trapped in an airplane” feeling but at 6′1″ & 220 lbs I really didn’t expect to have all the elbow & leg room
that I did.

The whole of the experience is definitely “grass-roots aviation”. It’s difficult for me to articulate,
but you’re mentally sharper and there’s more of a feel for what’s going on:
i.e. You pay attention to the wing & horizon for bank and pitch.
It’s not like you’re going for a ride in and airplane. Its more like the craft becomes part of you.
After a couple of seconds, you won’t be thinking about controlling the plane – you’re thinking in terms of
what “I” am doing.

I won’t attempt a written description of the actual instruction at this time since I wouldn’t
do it proper justice. I had originally planned to take tailwheel training to get the
endorsement, but I’ve learned to realize that people like Tony Markl only come around once in a
lifetime. If you’re planning on getting your tailwheel endorsement, this is the man to see. I plan
on returning as often as he’ll allow… I’m becoming a better pilot & my head is in a better
place for having spent time with this man.

Bob systematically exposes you to the different unusual attitudes so
your senses won’t get overloaded during any one session. As a matter of
fact, by incrementally building up your resistance to the various
forces, the lessons actually get easier as you progress though the
maneuvers. When he sees that you’ve stopped learning for that day, the
lesson’s over… very low pressure.

The first session was introductory:

• some accelerated stalls; demonstrating how your wings really can stall at any airspeed & at any attitude,
• trim tab stalls; simulating what can go wrong in the all-to-familiar go’round once you’ve setup for final approach,
• and finally some simple one turn spins to the left and to the
  right; nothing violent or drastic. If you’ve never done spins before,
  you’ll be surprised at how slowly the plane actually rotates on the
  entry.

The second session involved a review of the first
lesson, progressing into more “fully-developed” spins with “recovery on
a heading”. Although there’s more to this lesson, it is actually easier
on your system. You just build up a natural tolerance and the next
thing you know, its no big deal.

The third session is the most fun. I learned how to
deal with wind-shear and wake turbulence. The worse part is learning
how your natural reactions to these daily occurring forces are a very
bad thing. If you do what comes instinctively, you’d aggravate the
situation right into the ground. By going through this type of
training, you train your brain to react properly, recovering with
minimal altitude loss.

I have to admit that I find the whole aerobatic thing quite fun.
Although I never realized the maneuvers had such practical
applications. Lets face it, even if you’re apprehensive about getting
this type of training, the smart thing to do is to get with a qualified
instructor who
will teach you to react properly to unusual situations… the type of
situations that you won’t learn about during “straight & level”.

Why would you wait until you’re pilot-in-charge (alone, or worse
with passengers) to try figure out how to get out of trouble? Chances
are, you won’t. You’ll be a safer pilot for learning this and that’s
what it’s all about.

Update 1 December 2001

Since I had sooo much fun during the 3 “Unusual Attitude Recovery”
sessions, I asked Bob how I could further my education. It turns out he
gives Basic and Advanced Aerobatic Instruction. His schedule is pretty packed but I manage to get in 1 hr/wk and I’m having the time of my life!