<< I dunno how true this is, but I recall reading in a full scale airplane magazine that an unfeathered, spinning prop creates more drag then a solid disk of the same diameter!
>> Jim: I fly only RC gliders but have lots of time in full size prop airplanes. Fortunately I have no actual experiences with the engine shut down.. But, there is certainly a significant drag factor generated by the prop when descending at idle. More so when it's a constant speed prop in that the pitch can be adjusted to present a flatter surface to the wind. The head wind is trying to turn the prop faster than the engine speed and the engine is resisting that effort. Result = drag. I don't know if a flat disk would create more or less drag than a windmilling prop. Logic tells me more. A disk would probably mess up forward visibility and not produce much power.. :-) ~JD~ San Diego RCSE-List facilities provided by Model Airplane News. Send "subscribe" and "unsubscribe" requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please note that subscribe and unsubscribe messages must be sent in text only format with MIME turned off.
