I'm translating a documentary from Hungarian to English. There is a scene where the pilot of an aeroplane with a propeller is preparing for take-off.
He says (seemingly into a 2-way radio) two short sentences, literally: "Propeller pushing. Propeller free." Could anybody help me with info about what an English-speaking pilot would say in this situation. A million thanks in advance!
If the engine is already started, and if this is a turboprop with a constant speed propeller, it is most likely that the pilot is performing a pitch control check. In this case the pilot would move the throttle into Beta, or reverse, which would momentarily cause the propeller to "push". After this he would come back to idle, where if the propeller control lever was set to fine pitch or max RPM, the prop would spin "free". The actual procedure and intercom voice calls will vary by aircraft and operator.
This answer presumes that he is not yelling out a window, or transmitting with aircraft callsign to a ground controller. A video clip showing where he is on the ground, whether the prop is turning, and what his hands are doing at the time of the calls would confirm this.
If it is difficult to post a clip here, just watch what his right hand is doing: If he appears to disengage a latch and pull the main power lever backwards, (you may hear an audible change in the engine sound as the propeller reverses pitch) and declares “propeller pushing”, then moves the lever back forward again and declares “propeller free” this would be pretty strong confirmation of my interpretation.
If that is the case, I might suggest a literal translation as you described in the question. If you know the exact make and model of aircraft you could maybe narrow down what an English speaking pilot would say instead, but the literal translation wouldn’t necessarily be wrong either.
If this is in the context of starting the engine we would usually say, out of a window
Clear prop!
To ensure anyone standing close by is aware there's about to be a big dangerous spinney-thing near them.
If he is actually speaking into the radio, he may well be requesting startup clearance from a ground controller. eg pilot of airgraft registered "G-ABCD" to fictitious airport at "Airplaneville":
Pilot: Airplaneville ground, G-ABCD, Request startup
ATC: G-ABCD, startup approved
Pilot: Startup approved, G-ABCD
Another possibility is that the aircraft is being "hand-cranked" (ie, started by spinning the propeller rather than an electric starter motor). In which case there are various procedures but this text below describes the kind of communication between the pilot and the starter:
The starter−who by tradition is in charge−sets chocks in front of the wheels. The pilot holds back the stick and sets the throttle roughly a quarter of an inch forward from fully closed. The starter calls, “Switches off, sucking in”. The pilot shows a ‘thumbs down’, indicating that the rear magnetos are earthed. The starter acknowledges by repeating, “Switches off, sucking in,” and pulls the propeller forwards through four blades. (Always bearing in mind that there may be an electrical fault and the engine might fire.) The starter then sets the propeller, calls, “Set and contact,” and observes the pilot moving up the rear switches on both magnetos (the starter can see the switches, which is why they’re outside). The pilot gives a thumbs up and repeats, “Contact”. The starter swings the propeller and the engine starts. After an interval to allow the engine to warm up, the pilot crosses his arms, which is the signal for the starter to remove the chocks. (pilotweb.aero)
