RE: Did pattern fliers used to use variable pitch props?
I had one on a Curare and it worked OK for the time. it did not have beta pitch available as I recall ( 11/0-8 or so) but could go flat pitch for down lines. It worked but really was not worth the effort at the time. Now that we have computer radios and you could do a p-mix with the prop, it might be interesting.
Gordie