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A rare glimpse into early 20th-century aviation: a Hucks Starter in action, firing up the engine of the Airco DH.9. This ingenious ground vehicle, built on a Ford Model T chassis, replaced the hazardous hand-swinging method and revolutionised aircraft starting during WWI. Captured here at IWM Duxford, this moment brings vintage aviation engineering vividly to life.
The Hucks Starter was an ingenious mechanical device developed during World War I to start aircraft engines more safely and efficiently. Invented by Royal Flying Corps Captain Bentfield Charles Hucks, it replaced the hazardous manual propeller swinging method. Typically mounted on a Ford Model T chassis, the Hucks Starter used a power take-off shaft to engage with the aircraft’s propeller hub, spinning the engine until it started. This innovation significantly reduced the risk to ground crew and streamlined aircraft operations in the 1920s and 1930s. Today, restored examples like this one are preserved in aviation museums, serving as a testament to early 20th-century engineering advancements.
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Airco DH.9 E8894/G-CDLI Duxford 21 March 2024
A Hucks Starter pictured at Old Warden
A Hucks Starter on show at Old Warden
A Hucks Starter seen at Old Warden .
Invented by Royal Flying Corps Captain Bentfield Hucks, for whom it is named, the device served as a mechanical replacement for the groundcrew members who would have otherwise needed to spin an aircraft's propeller by hand as a part of the starting process, on aircraft engines not fitted with starters.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hucks_starter#/media/File:Huck_Star...
Invented by Royal Flying Corps Captain Bentfield Hucks, for whom it is named, the device served as a mechanical replacement for the groundcrew members who would have otherwise needed to spin an aircraft's propeller by hand as a part of the starting process, on aircraft engines not fitted with starters.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hucks_starter#/media/File:Huck_Star...
A Hucks Starter based on a Ford , used for the starting of propeller driver aircraft in the 1920s and 30s
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Shuttleworth Collection Autumn Air Display 2011.
The Shuttleworth Collection's Hawker Hind being prepared to be started with the Hucks Starter at Old Warden.
Ford Model-T, with Hucks-Starter modification which is used to start some of the aircraft, by 'swinging the prop'.
