Originally posted by IanB
Of course as all of our airframes are soo much alike that "matching the prop to the airframe" is meaningless.............and personally........I STILL want MAX thrust via the most EFFICIENT prop at the OPTIMUM rpm for the engine in the MAX LOAD condition............see where Im at?
Ian,
I'm assuming you're saying a lot of this in jest, but since you've mentioned this, I would like to throw out a thought about airframes.
A 1/3 scale Sopwith Pup will need a different kind of propping than a 1/3 scale Extra 300. Different flight envelopes, different speed ranges.
Max effiency yes, but at what speed range and rpm? You still need to match the prop and engine to the airframe and mission.
To use a real-life example, NASA's Super Guppy uses the engines and nacelles from the Lockheed P-3, but the props from the C-130 (both airplanes use the same engine; the Allison T56/501D). Why? Different missions.
The P-3 is a speedy bird and needs props that are efficient at a higher speed. The Herk's props pull a bigger load, so they sacrifice speed for pulling power, but are still efficient. In both cases, the props are matched to the airframe and mission.
Interesting discussion.
Daren