REFLECTOR: CATTO

[Al Gietzen]

But suppossing that one is interested in just one factor, namely maximal 

cruise speed, would there be any reason to choose a constant speed 

propeller over a fixed pitch one?  Or to be more concrete, assuming 

all the other factors equal (even though they are not), would an MT 

constant speed propeller on a Velocity SEFG give one a higher cruise

speed than a fixed pitch propeller on the same aircraft?

 

My conclusion - No.  If you were only interested in max cruise speed, you
would likely get at least a couple knots higher cruise with fixed pitch.
Two reasons; about 35 lbs less weight; and a blade pitch distribution that
is optimized for the specific cruise condition.  

 

Chuck is right, it's about tradeoffs.  There are even some tradeoffs to be
made on blade design for a CS prop for the varying conditions.

 

Al

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