Why do plane propellers face forward?

The direction the thrust pushes the plane is dependent on the angle the propeller blades are at and which way they are facing, not where the propellers are located on the plane. The propellers generate a difference in air pressure between the front of the blade and the back which pushes the airplane forward.

Can propeller blades go into the feather position?

Unless the propeller is protected by a torque-limiting feature in the engine control, the loss of oil pressure in a counterweighted propeller could result in a high-torque condition. For either type of propeller system (pitch lock or counterweight), it will still be possible to feather the propeller.

What does feathering propellers mean?

On most variable-pitch propellers, the blades can be rotated parallel to the airflow to stop rotation of the propeller and reduce drag when the engine fails or is deliberately shut down. This is called feathering, a term borrowed from rowing.

What is a feathering lock?

Feathering Propellers A feathering propeller is a type of constant-speed propeller used on multi-engine aircraft. Since the propellers would go to the feathered position during a shutdown, latches lock the propeller in the low-pitch position as the propeller slows down at shutdown.

Why do propellers turn clockwise?

In a counter-rotating installation, the propellers on the right wing turn counter-clockwise while those on the left wing turn clockwise. The principle advantage of counter-rotation is to balance propeller torque effects thus eliminating any problems associated with a Critical Engine.

How does the turboprop propeller go to feather?

Autofeather is a feature of the engines on some turboprop or piston engine aircraft. When the power being produced by the engine drops to the point where it is not contributing to thrust, the propeller will go into a feathered mode to reduce drag.

What is propeller overspeed?

In propeller aircraft, an overspeed will occur if the propeller, usually connected directly to the engine, is forced to turn too fast by high-speed airflow while the aircraft is in a dive, moves to a flat blade pitch in cruising flight due to a governor failure or feathering failure, or becomes decoupled from the …