From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
The dangers of hand-starting 4-bladed propellers and advocating for the safer switch-start method.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 163\7\ img009 | |
| Date | 30th May 1918 guessed | |
| OY-15-FMF-13418. -3- Contd. out of the way, particularly with a 4-bladed propeller. They are particularly anxious just now about the possibility of accident with 4-bladed propellers of the built-up type, consisting of two 2-bladed propellers, back to back. They think that if the men pull around on a blade of the inner propeller they may get their arms broken by the following blades of the outer propeller. They are suggesting that they can get away from this by marking the inner propeller with some distinctive sign or colour to warn the men not to start with it. The whole system, however, is very crude and dangerous looking compared with priming the engine, pulling it over and starting on the switch as we do. When I was talking to Co. Vincent about this, he said that he did not like the idea of starting an engine on the switch, because of shocks to the engine. I hope that when we have finished the preliminary experiments at Dayton and are able to throw open the experiments to the Signal Corps, we shall have an opportunity of demonstrating to Col. Vincent that starting on the switch on the Rolls-Royce engine is a very convenient operation, which is not calculated to damage the engine or gear. OY. | ||