Ground-adjustable propeller

A ground adjustable propeller on a Rotax 912S engine, mounted in a 3Xtrim 3X55 Trener.

A ground-adjustable propeller is a simple type of aircraft variable-pitch propeller where the blade angle can be adjusted between pre-set limits of fine and coarse pitch.[1] As its name implies, a ground-adjustable propeller may be adjusted only when the aircraft is on the ground and when the engine is not running.

Ground-adjustable propellers, which are mostly used on light and very light aircraft, are much cheaper and lighter than more sophisticated and versatile in-flight-adjustable propellers. A ground-adjustable propeller allows pitch changes to be made, although not in flight, to optimise the aircraft for current payload and flying conditions.[2]

Adjustment

To adjust the propeller, the blades are loosened in the hub, a new angle set and then the hub tightened.[3] The process is one of compromise, and of trial & error. After a flight, if, say, climb seemed too sluggish, the pitch angle may have been set too coarse and would need to be made finer. Alternatively, if the aircraft reached take-off speed quickly but struggled to reach a comfortable cruise speed, the pitch would need to be coarsened. The person making the adjustments would be advised to do so in small increments until a satisfactory outcome were reached.

Manufacturers

See also

References

  1. ^ Crane, Dale: Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition, page 86. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ISBN 1-56027-287-2
  2. ^ "Adjustable-Pitch Propellers (Part One)". Flight Learnings. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  3. ^ Experimental Aircraft Association (9 December 2010), Adjusting a Ground-Adjustable Propeller Archived 2017-06-10 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved 6 June 2015
  4. ^ "Arplast Hélice sarl" (in French). Arplast-helice.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  5. ^ Dave Loveman. "IVOPROP Ground Adjustable Magnum Propeller >". Ivoprop.com. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  6. ^ "Warp Drive Carbon fiber Composite Propellers". Warpdriveprops.com. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  7. ^ "ON GROUND ADJUSTABLE PROPELLER – TYPE KLASSIC 170 - WOODCOMP". Woodcomp.cz. Archived from the original on 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2012-04-30.