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Old August 18th 20, 01:01 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Cumungus
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Default Another E glider concept

When the propeller spins backwards in the demo reel, confidence that the engineers will make an airworthy aircraft is instantly flushed down the toilet.

On Monday, August 17, 2020 at 1:39:31 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Per Carlin wrote on 8/17/2020 12:58 PM:
The Main factors for power from a propeller are diameter, pitch and rpm, not the number of blades.

An increase from 2 to 3 blades gives at best about 10-15% more drag if the remaining is constant. However the efficiency of the propeller drops by 5-10% and this is a major drawback in electrical propulsion system for gliders.

I think something is missing in your explanation: for example, 3, 4 and 5 blades
are common on airplanes, and wind turbines routinely use 3 blades. My
understanding is tip speed is the ultimate limit on the power a propeller can
absorb, so adding a 3rd should 50% more power capability.

Take a look at this bad boy - Five blades!

https://hartzellprop.com/are-more-pr...blades-better/

The Hartzell site also discusses reasons for choosing more blades

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1