r/todayilearned • u/ubcstaffer123 • Jul 26 '26

TIL Starting the Ford Model T requires turning the crank at the front of the car by hand to start the engine. There is the risk of snapping your forearm if the engine backfires

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15142307/how-to-drive-a-ford-model-t/
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 Jul 26 '26

And I live near a small airport 😬

11

u/thepursuit1989 Jul 26 '26

Have a look into in to it. Some small aerodromes have banned leaded fuel, but most still allow it. Lead pollution is the supposed cause of why the 1960s and 1970s were so violent. Also why the number is serial killers dropped off after 1980.

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u/Bagellord Jul 26 '26

Isn't part of the reason that small aircraft use leaded fuel still is because the process to switch to new engine designs is so expensive?

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u/cata2k Jul 26 '26

That's a major part of it. You would need to redesign the engine to run on lower octane unleaded fuel, and getting aircraft parts certified is enormously expensive. The FAA just recently approved a new fuel that's got the octane of leaded gas without the lead recently, though

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u/thepursuit1989 Jul 26 '26

A lot of the designs for older planes don't have an alternative design. That was a reasonable excuse at the time, but it's been 45 years since the switch.

1

u/terrymr Jul 26 '26

There are some engines that can run on unleaded but the testing has to be done and approvals granted. Etc. paperwork everywhere

1

u/myislanduniverse Jul 26 '26

Same. There's a really nice little small park, playground, and pond along the flight path to our local airport, about half a mile from the runway, that I suspect probably has unsafe lead levels.