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PROPELLER DRIVEN VEHICLES

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What is a propeller?

• A propeller is a device which transmits energy by converting it into a push for propulsion of a vehicle such as an aircraft, ship, or submarine though a fluid such as water or air, by rotating two or more twisted blades about a central shaft.

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• The blades of a propeller act as rotating wings, and produce a force that pushes air or water in one direction and the object it is attached to moves with equal force but in opposite direction.

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Phillips earned an 1852 patent for a "Steering Submarine Propeller," whose main innovation was a hand-cranked propeller on a swivel joint that allowed crew to steer the vessel and control up and down movement.

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The Helica was invented, developed, and manufactured by the Frenchman Marcel Leyat, between 1913 and 1926. Thirty are said to have been built, of which there were several. Certainly some were built for sale, and two of these survive.

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An early Helica: 1913 design. This is a three-wheeled two-seater. Note the complete absence of any guard for the propeller; it is difficult to believe this would have been street-legal.

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1914 model, called "The Helicocycle" . This model has gained a wooden shroud around the propeller, presumably for safety reasons. There also appears to be a wire guard over the front of the propeller, which is again two-bladed in this version. Still a three-wheeler.

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A surviving Helica: 1921 model. This four wheeled Helica belonged to Gustave Courau. It was donated to the Museum of the CNAM in 1931, and is on show in Paris. (CNAM = Conservatoire National des Arts et Metiers) Note the propeller is now four bladed, possibly to reduce noise and vibration.

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The only running Helica, seen under power at Goodwood racetrack (Britain) in July 2003. This Helica is owned by Jean Francois Bouzanquet of Paris. It was bought new by his grandfather in 1922, and it has been in the family ever since.The engine is a British two-cylinder ABC of 1203 cc, driving a 4.5 foot diameter wooden propeller; maximum speed is about 60mph

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• Propellers on airplanes generally have from two to six blades. These are usually made of wood, aluminum alloy, steel, or composite materials.

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The three-bladed propeller of a light aircraft: the Vans RV-7A

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• The Mini-Sniffer was a remotely controlled, propeller-driven vehicle developed at the NASA Flight Research Center as a potential platform to sample the upper atmosphere for pollution.

Propeller

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• The vehicle, flown from 1975 to 1977, was one of the earliest attempts by NASA to develop an aircraft that could sense turbulence and measure natural and human-produced atmospheric pollutants at altitudes above 80,000 feet with a variable-load propeller that was never flight-tested.

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River boats also have been known for using a propeller to move around water channels in the Everglades in Florida.

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Propeller driven Sleighs

Made around 1912 .A speed of 60 mph is claimed.