The Future Scope of Propellers

Extract

With the rapid advances made during the war in the power output of piston engines, together with the introduction of straight jet and gas turbine units, the time is very opportune to consider the future scope of the propeller as an efficient means of aircraft propulsion on the types envisaged for the future.

The aircraft designer has taken full advantage of these advances in power unit development by introducing aircraft with ever improving aerodynamic characteristics, thus enabling these increases in power to be utilized efficiently.

The propeller designer has been fully cognisant of these combined developments, and in meeting them has had to make rapid strides in research and development throughout the war period.

In examining the future scope of propellers it is as well to review first the rate at which aircraft and engine development has proceeded over the last six years, as this development would never have been achieved in this space of time had it not been for the intervention of war.