"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"Peter Dohm" wrote

You're right. Then we could prove a lot one way or the
other--especially
if
a little smoke was part of the system. There would still be the effects
of
scale and Reynolds number, which are supposed to be quite significant,
but
a
lot could still be learned. At least it should be possible to either
verify
or deny the assertion that grooved or dimpled props produce a virtual
"switch pitch" effect.

Maybe next year.

I would be willing to bet a month's salary that at *least* one of the big
prop makers have done all of this kind of research.

After all, these companies strive to eek out hundredths of a percent
improval of propeller efficiency.

Any takers?

April Fools! (so I'm a little late, sue me! g) I'm too poor (and not
enough of a gambler) to risk any of my salary, even if it is a "sure
thing"
bet! g

Still my point stands. Me thinks that if these tricks have not shown up on
your manufactured props, the gain is not significant enough to be worth
the
effort of incorporating them into the props.
--
Jim in NC


The issue is certainly not in first place on my priority list. But I am not
ready to suppose that it can't be done, nor that it hasn't been done.

There seem to me to be good and sufficient reasons to suppose that the big
porp makers might *not* give much effort to certifying and announcing higher
performance props for the low end of the performance spectrum. For example,
if the effect is sufficient to be really usefull on a 100 to 115 Kt
airplane, it might also make the performance of the prop more sensitive to
surface condition. In addition, if applied to SLSA, it could become more
tedious to certify within the limitation on maximum speed--and there are
already some which require aerodynamic faults introduced for the US market
with their existing props.

That leaves the Cessna 172 as the only obvious candidate for which anyone
might certify and announce such a prop. Remember that the major prop
manufacturers are primarily in the business of certified props for certified
engines which qualify for single engine night and IFR flight. It has been
done before; the Cessna 150 received a Clark-Y prop, which was regarded as a
fairly new improvement, shortly before it was replaced by the Cessna 152.

I am curious, but not holding my breath.
Peter