Linked Questions

5 votes
5 answers
6k views

Can you put a propeller on the back of a plane, and have it go forward?

So, I was thinking about how drones work, and I can't figure out how drones with propellers at the rear of the drone can still go forward. I'm not that experienced in aviation so if this is a basic ...
floppa fan's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
654 views

What would be the advantage of a Puller vs. Pusher configuration on Embraer's new Turboprop?

Embraer recently teased a turboprop aircraft with aft-mounted, open rotor engines. Why would this aircraft not use a pusher configuration? The reasons that are frequently stated as a benefit for a ...
nodapic's user avatar
  • 1,827
-5 votes
1 answer
385 views

Can an aircraft climb with the thrust line below the line of flight? [closed]

"Downthrust" is a common engine mount feature of propeller driven aircraft, models and full scale alike. From model building experience and flight, downthrust, angling the (tractor) engine ...
Robert DiGiovanni's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
7k views

How does the location of a propeller affect an aircraft's stability?

Some aircraft possess propellers on front of the fuselage, like the Cessna 172, and some aircraft have propellers located at the rear of the fuselage, like the Velocity 173RG-E. How does the ...
Kuzey Sinay's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
882 views

Does propwash increase pitch stability?

Here is a polar for a piston single-engine aircraft: (This is lifted from a Russian manual for Yak-52, so $C_x$ is drag, $C_D$, and $C_y$ is lift, $C_L$). 1 is the 'normal' case without propwash. 2 ...
Zeus's user avatar
  • 9,063
-1 votes
1 answer
688 views

Which propeller configuration is the one that generates the least turbulent flow in a wind tunnel?

I looked at the post here but still have some questions Why are push-propellers so rare, yet they are still around? This is along the same idea but the answers are not too helpful either. Pros and ...
Bwebb's user avatar
  • 99
7 votes
2 answers
3k views

Is 1 propeller always more efficient than 2?

Based on other answers I've read here (1) (2) (3), a single large blade propeller is the most efficient type of thrust you can get. There are 2 reasons for this (as I understand it). Firstly, ...
YAHsaves's user avatar
  • 1,211
0 votes
1 answer
679 views

How does the propeller position affect the effectiveness of control surfaces?

I've found several questions about differences between pusher and puller aircraft, but the effectiveness of control surfaces was not discussed in any of them. Consider the following three scenarios: ...
Robe's user avatar
  • 618
1 vote
0 answers
115 views

Would propellers be more efficient if they were mounted at the rear of the aircraft? [duplicate]

The propellers of a front-mounted propeller plane push air back directly on a collision course with the aircraft's body. That results in zero thrust or negative thrust from at least some sections of ...
securitydude5's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why do helicopters typically have blades at the top?

This question has several great answers showing that it's perfectly possible for a helicopter to fly with its blades underneath the rest of the aircraft. There are some obvious issues with having a ...
LangeHaare's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
9k views

What are the reasons behind this pusher propeller configuration?

Can a pusher configuration sort of like this have its propeller close to the tail (if it were one of those split tails like on a A-10)? Why did they put the propeller above the cabin and not in ...
Jenia Ivanov's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
1k views

Which 'pusher' propeller aircraft have been used in active military service?

The only 'pusher' aircraft I know of that has been used in active military service is the SAAB 21. There are several prototypes out there, but I can't see that any others were used. Which, if any, ...
Rugnir's user avatar
  • 687
26 votes
9 answers
10k views

Has a fixed-wing aircraft ever been built that featured multiple turbines powering a single propeller?

Has a fixed-wing aircraft ever been conceived, prototyped or built that features multiple turbines powering a single propeller? The concept of a twin-engine aircraft with a single propeller is ...
ryan1618's user avatar
  • 14.9k
9 votes
4 answers
4k views

Is there anything wrong with this more symmetric aircraft design, and why isn't it used?

I imagine a fixed wing airplane design that's a lot more symmetric than what I see today. This symmetric design has wings in the middle of the fuselage (neither high wing nor low wing), and the ...
DrZ214's user avatar
  • 17.7k
9 votes
5 answers
2k views

Can wing-tip vortices be reduced/eliminated with a rear-facing propeller near the wing-tip?

Let's say we have a propeller-driven aircraft in the pusher configuration (rear-facing propellers). If we could somehow put an engine at the wing tip (ignoring structural concerns), and maybe make the ...
DrZ214's user avatar
  • 17.7k

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