As a kid I always found it interesting that (some?) Spitfire had 4 blade propellors and the main adversary, the [Edit] Bf109 had 3 [1] and wondered, shouldn't there be an optimum?
[1] Not sure both changed the number of blades during WWII.
[1] Not sure both changed the number of blades during WWII.
In his words, the 109 handled much better at the limit than the P-51. The P-51 could dive and go very fast, but with poor control. In his opinion the 109 was the superior aircraft.
Not sure if it relates at all to the prop discussion, but maybe in the grand scheme of engineering? Those warbirds are fascinating pieces of hardware to me.
"I guess available power from the engine plays a big role, as engines got more powerful they started fitting 4 blades."
Good one.
I wonder if it was a carry over from the first world war when guns fired through the propeller, so the more blades the more chance of shooting it off? (There were systems which regulated when the gun would fire to prevent this happening)