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Section 5 of 13

Thrust from the propeller

(Principles of flight: thrust from the propeller)

The engine makes power, but power alone does not move the aeroplane. The propeller converts the engine's turning effect (torque) into a forward force, thrust, by doing exactly what a wing does, only rotating. A cross-section through a propeller blade is an aerofoil: it has a leading edge, a trailing edge, a chord line and camber, and it generates a forward-acting "lift" that we call thrust. Everything you learned about aerofoils applies here.

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