ok i was wondering if you had a single engine cessna but instead of having 1 prop you had two
one of them would spin clockwise and the other would spin counter clock wise. if youve ever seen the aviator they have a simular concept.
would this have any advantages as far as speed or performance
2006-10-12 09:57:49 · 6 answers · asked by bill f 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Hi Bill -
There's not much advantage - that's why not many aircraft have Been built using them.
Those that have are multi-engine with one engine driving the clock-wise rotating propeller and the other engine driving the counter-clock-wise rotating propeller through gear boxes.
But they are inefficient - the propellers interact to churn the air around them which reduces their efficiency - so aircraft designers avoid them.
But keep thinking -you may come-up with a way to make them work better!
Check-out :
www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contra-rotating_propellers
CQ
2006-10-12 10:46:20 · answer #1 · answered by CharlieQ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in theory this system would give more thrust. however it is more coplicated than just "two is better then one".
The installation of this second propeller and the nessesary gears to counter rotate it, will mean a dramatic increase in weight on the aircraft. Small aircraft like cessnas don't have a powerfull enough engine to drive this system, and even if, it would change the center of balance of the plane, and it would decrease the usefull load U can carry on the plane.
Russia still uses this system on the Bear, but this plane also has enourmesly powerfull engines.
2006-10-13 00:16:36 · answer #2 · answered by Timothy B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not a very popular idea.
The Cessna C337P is a twin engine aircraft that has the engines in line. One in front to pull and the second behind to push.
http://www.fsd-international.com/projects/C337.htm
In the movie the problem was if one prop failed they both would with extreme consequences.
Any increase in performance would be negated by weight and cost for smaller aircraft.
2006-10-12 17:47:27 · answer #3 · answered by dyke_in_heat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The advantages are:
More thrust from a smaller diameter propeller.
No left (or right) turning tendencies.
Disadvantages:
High weight
Impractical for small aircraft due to low power.
High maintenance and low reliability.
A few aircraft have counter rotating blades but these are limited to a very few military types, mostly experimental. (Tu-95, Tu-114, XF-88, XA2D, etc).
2006-10-12 19:47:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Speed or performance, maybe. But it would sure cut down on "torque steer".
2006-10-12 18:45:50 · answer #5 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its so it doesnt pul to the left or right...... i think
2006-10-12 17:04:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋