Everel One Bladed Prop On J-2 Cub

[cflord]

The following paragraphs were written by Mr. Richard Hawley, as he attended the 28th Annual Sentimental Journey Piper Cub Fly-In. The Fly-In was held at William T. Piper Memorial Airport, Lock Haven, PA.

"Back in 1936, when Mr. Taylor and Mr. Piper were still working as a team, they produced the Taylor J-2 Cub. There on the airfield was a beautiful Taylor J-2 owned by Mark Stewart of Ocala, Florida. NC16667 was sitting there as a beautifully restored example, but with one very major difference. It flew in with a very rare Everel single-bladed counter-balanced propeller. The first sight impression causes more than just a double-take. “What the…” was the most common unfinished sentence heard from those who walked unsuspectingly up to the airplane. One blade is completely normal in appearance while the other looks like a pirate’s peg leg with a nicely rounded counterweight. A rarer sight could not be imagined."

"The Everel propeller, designed in the 1930’s by Walter W. Everts, of Baltimore, Maryland, advertised numerous advantages, including faster takeoff and climb, less vibration, higher cruising and top speeds, greater fuel economy, reduced bending of blades and reduced gyroscopic action. It featured an automatic pitch changing action, shifting from shallow pitch on takeoff to deeper pitch at cruise. This went on to become the foundation for the two bladed Aeromatic Propeller."





Keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down!

Ret SMSgt Cliff Lord - C-130 Flight Engineer & Mechanic

[FlameOut]

Yep, that is what I would've said!

[Lewis - A2A]

Wow never knew these things existed. I wonder what they sound like, must give of a unique sound?


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[BPL]

That is fascinating! I never knew such a thing existed. Thanks for posting.

[n421nj]

I'm curious if it really did all it said it did. Was it really more efficient than two bladed props?

[Oracle427]

Pretty cool stuff.

I heard from a guy that flew one that it was a pretty good design and there was definitely improved climb and cruise performance. He said that the parts wore out quickly and it was difficult to keep the tension in adjustment. It required all sorts of shims and periodic adjustment to keep the hub properly operating as I understood. The wooden prop blades also tended to be more sensitive than 2 bladed wooden props to changes in humidity and this resulted in more vibration.

Supposedly, the single prop goes also has the benefit of going through less disturbed air and is therefore more efficient at the lower RPMs that were common for that engine.

[Fabo]

Yes, it is well understood that less blades a prop has, more effective it becomes.

Problem with single blade props is they are not weight centered (hence the counterweight)... Nowadays, you can find them on performance model airplanes.

And if you are asking why there are multiple blade props... you can only go so big with a blade, then you have to start using more blades. Two reasons being ground clearance and blade tips extending speed of sound.

[Li'lJugs]

... Nowadays, you can find them on performance model airplanes.

Back in the days of "stick and tissue, rubber powered" model airplanes, they were around, also.

(oops, showing my age!)

[Moach]

Yep, that is what I would've said!

What I would have said similarly expresses apparent disbelief - however the exact phrasing that came to mind ought not be uttered, lest our mothers soap our mouths


what a curious device - I'm looking at it, and yet half my brain is still intent on trying to disprove my eyes...


I reckon the claims of better performance could be due to the absence of the second blade's wake... I can conceive how that'd work- as soon as the sight of it eventually begins to make sense, that is...

[Medtner]

This is utterly fascinating!

Have a look at this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqiBb98o1D8

[Moach]

Whoa! what an ingenious device!

By the end of the video the guy shows the pitching action on the blade - how clever! that movement could only work with a single blade, hence the design! this is most fascinating indeed - a solid wood variable pitch propeller!