The Propeller Airscrew is often the poor orphan to the piston-engine that spins it when it comes to research popularity. Without doubt you only have to read most of the posts on this forum and others to see where the predominace of interest lies. My specialist interst is aero-engines and don't we all like the technical nuances and the sheer power..... 1,000Hp.....2,000Hp......3,000Hp and on, upward! Hell, why stop? Make it 5,000,000 Hp - it doesn't matter how many zeroes you keep adding you won't be going anywhere fast if you can't then translate the avalanche of power into useable thrust: and that requires a propeller. Why is it then that a great deal of military and for that matter, civilian technical research is often ignored? Granted, this forum site and others have occasionally described some of the propeller types used in WW2 combat aircraft but these references are still fairly sparse and are predominantly American/British/German. One would be lead to think that perhaps these were the only belligerent nations that fought in WW2.
But "Where, Oh where" are the Japanese in all of this? I want to know what research their aeronautical researchers got up to in WW2!! Surely, someone must know (post-war American technical intelligence reports, perhaps?). You only have to scrutinise the 6-bladed propeller installed on the KYUSHU 'Shinden' J7W1 as but one example to realise that there is a lot more to learn of this little-known area of Japanese aviation research. And what about the propellers that their long-range 'America Bomber' aircraft projects would have used. All of this must have been a massive amount of experimental investigation.
I want to know more.......!
But "Where, Oh where" are the Japanese in all of this? I want to know what research their aeronautical researchers got up to in WW2!! Surely, someone must know (post-war American technical intelligence reports, perhaps?). You only have to scrutinise the 6-bladed propeller installed on the KYUSHU 'Shinden' J7W1 as but one example to realise that there is a lot more to learn of this little-known area of Japanese aviation research. And what about the propellers that their long-range 'America Bomber' aircraft projects would have used. All of this must have been a massive amount of experimental investigation.
I want to know more.......!
