A NEW PROPELLER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 May 1940, Page 6

A NEW PROPELLER

j DEVELOPMENTS IN ITALY. j We have news from Rome that Italy i has made an important development lin the manufacture of aeroplane propellers. I Working in conjunction with the Air Force, an engineer belonging to one of the aerial motor and propeller factories has built a new variablepitch propeller which, among other advantages, will allow flying-boats and seaplanes to reverse when manoeuvring on the water. This will be of great advantage when flying-boats alight or take oil from a choppy surface. As well as having the ordinary var-iable-pitch position, the new propeller has two additional positions which are controlled from the pilot’s seat through an electro-magnetic transmission. The first of these positions gives a pushing instead of a pulling action to j the propeller. and allows reversing. ; The second position puts the blades ’ parallel with, the direction of the air-; craft and thereby enables the pilot of i a multi-engine craft to stop one motor I in the case of a fault developing when ' m ilte air. Until lids new development ■ the pull of the wind on the propeller! compelled the engine to turn, even i alter both petrol and ignition con- j irols had been turned oil'. thereby ’ sometimes completely ruining a I slightly faulty motor which could I have been easily repaired.