As discussed in our June 2018 issue, the FAA earlier this year changed its policy to no longer require a complex airplane--one with
controllable-pitch propeller, flaps and retractable landing gear--for the commercial pilot-airplane or flight instructor-airplane certificates.
The company won the Collier Trophy in 1933 for a
controllable-pitch propeller patented in 1927.
Less than a month after the April 4, 2018, fatal crash of a Piper Arrow during a commercial-pilot checkride, the FAA has changed its policy to no longer require a complex airplane (one with
controllable-pitch propeller, flaps and retractable landing gear) for the commercial pilot-airplane or flight instructor-airplane certificates.
For each vessel Wartsila will deliver a Wartsila 32 main engine, a reduction gearbox, a Lips
controllable-pitch propeller and a Lips transverse tunnel thruster.
The other three tugs use
controllable-pitch propellers with twin azimuthing drives.
The workshop will provide reconditioning services to owners and operators of marine engines, gearboxes,
controllable-pitch propellers, thrusters and other ship equipment.
The propulsion engine output is transmitted via reduction gears with hydraulic clutches to the
controllable-pitch propellers. The reduction gears have two ratios, one for high and one for low speeds.
In airplanes with
controllable-pitch propellers, reducing propeller speed is an essential part of attaining best glide performance.
The vessels would each have a fully-redundant propulsion plant with two Wartsila 8L32 diesel engines, each driving Lips 4CF13 feathering
controllable-pitch propellers through a Wartsila SCV95-P58 reduction gearbox.
Less apparent but still critical to maximum performance are things like good rudder coordination, retracting cowl flaps ("cooling drag" from excess air flowing across cylinders and engine components greatly increase drag) and--very important--propeller speed with
controllable-pitch propellers.
In airplanes with
controllable-pitch propellers, know the expected manifold pressure and rpm at take-off power.