Thrusting Forward: A History of the Propeller

'Thrusting Forward' is an informal history of the aircraft propeller. It is also a tribute to the men and women who have contributed in large and small measure to the propeller's proud past and its promising future.

The aircraft propeller - with the clean, graceful lines of its blades and smooth, sculpted roundness of its spinner mechanism - looks like a simple mechanism. The simplicity in appearance, however, is deceiving for the propeller embodies the highest sophistication in aerodynamics, mechanical engineering and structural design..

Essentially a wing, the rotating propeller converts its 'lift' into thrust. The propeller's rotation and the angel at which the blade strike the air control aircraft speed in all phases of flight while the engine's speed remains constant and the aircraft's speed and altitude vary. Varying, too, across the blade from hub to tip are the direction and velocity of the air flowing through the propeller. In addition, environment and other stressors have also be taken into consideration in its design and development

This general history briefly relates how the knowledge of the propeller's aerodynamic and strucutural characteristics were gained and applied, from ancestral beginnings to the present day. Admittedly, this story is told from the perspective and experience of Hamilton Standard and the Dynamic Group. A conscientious attempt, nevertheless, has been made to acknowledge the many other companies and individuals who also have contributed so significantly to the development and success of the aircraft propeller.