"JP" wrote in message
...

"Kyle Boatright" wrote in
om...

Those of us who fly behind (or in front of) wooden props usually reduce
RPM significantly when entering rain. I reduce RPM to 1900 in rain, or
I see minor damage, despite the urethane leading edges. For me, 1900 rpm
results in a rotational tip speed of about 400 mph. This doesn't consider
the forward motion of the aircraft.

In WWII, more than a few combat aircraft used wooden propellers -
Spitfires, Hurricanes, and Me-109's being high profile examples.
However, I have never heard of any rain/prop issues with those aircraft.
And I'm sure there were plenty of occasions where those aircraft were
flown full-out in rain. FYI, with the Spit/merlin combination, the prop
is geared to roughly half the engine speed of 3,000 RPM. At 1500 prop
rpm, a 10.75' diameter prop has a tip speed of roughly 575 mph.

That's the kind of tip speed that will supposedly wreck a wooden prop in
the rain. So, what was different about those props? Were the blades
essentially disposable and nobody gave a second thought to trashing a
set? Did the blades incorporate some sort of technology that I've missed?
(Brass leading edges don't count - to the best of my knowledge, Spits
didn't have 'em.)

Thoughts?

KB


Many prewar (WWII) fighters used wooden propellers. During the war the
British fighters like Spitfires and Hurricanes as well as German Me-109's
and FW-190's were equipped with metal blade propellers. This can be seen
in e.g. photographs presenting downed planes. The bent blades are often
clearly visible.

JP

At one time or another, all of those aircraft flew behind wooden props. Do
a google search for "Wood Rotol propeller spitfire", for example.

KB