Propeller  protection for ultralights, powered parachutes and weight-shift trikes. Now for you to get the most out of the following you have to look at your ultralight aircraft from the rear, looking towards the engine. You have to imagine that your prop is spinning and anything in front of the prop has to potential to go through it. In winter this could be just a small piece of snow that melted and then froze on an aileron, or a spark plug wrench that was inadvertently left on the wing after a spark plug change. Even things like a map, pair of gloves, or sun glasses placed in the side pockets of the fuselage! One of the most reported things that have damaged ultralight propellers over the years are the exhaust springs used on most ultralight aircraft. Check and make sure your exhaust springs are safety wired by lock wire passed loosely through the middle of the center of the coils. Now fill the spring from one end to the other full of silicone and put a dab in the spring end hooks. The safety wire and silicone will keep all the pieces together so that they do not exit into the prop if they break. The silicone will also help dampen harmonic vibration in the springs. Now while most instances of a spring or exhaust clamp nut going through a propeller will only result in minor propeller damage. There have been cases where the whole engine has been thrown off the engine because of the unbalanced propeller still turning. In one case on a Maxair Drifter the pilot was able to land deadstick, with the engine hanging from the side of the plane held there by only the radiator hoses, electric wiring and throttle cables. In the picture on the right a Quad City Challenger flying on a Hirth engine had the the exhaust clamp come off and go through the prop. The result - a forced landing into a wilderness back country snow covered field.  Unfortunately the plane was on wheels, causing quite a bit of damage. Also the only way to get the craft back home was to airlifted out by helicopter!        

        

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