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Counter-rotating propellers
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>Counter-rotating propellers have been used since the earliest days of aviation, in order to avoid the aircraft tipping sideways from the <a href="/facts/Torque/KcrcvNtV">torque</a> reaction against propellers turning in a single direction. They were fitted to the very first controlled powered aeroplane, the <i><a href="/facts/Wright_Flyer/AltAzzvr">Wright Flyer</a></i>, and to other subsequent types such as the <a href="/facts/Dunne_D.1/4nS6Vxru">Dunne D.1</a> of 1907 and the more successful <a href="/facts/Dunne_D.5/fXoMx4WK">Dunne D.5</a> of 1910. </p><p>In designing the <a href="/facts/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning/obGnR2Db">Lockheed P-38 Lightning</a>, the decision was made to reverse the counter-rotation such that the tops of the propeller arcs move outwards (counterclockwise on the left and clockwise on the right), away from each other. Tests on the initial XP-38 prototype demonstrated greater accuracy in gunnery with the unusual configuration. </p><p>The counter-rotating powerplants of the German World War II <a href="/facts/Junkers_Ju_288/USFy32j9">Junkers Ju 288</a> prototype series (as the <i><a href="/facts/Bomber_B/vGI9LxTp">Bomber B</a></i> contract winning design), the <a href="/facts/Gotha_Go_244/cQucck6c">Gotha Go 244</a> light transport, <a href="/facts/Henschel_Hs_129/MzMGFQn0">Henschel Hs 129</a> ground attack aircraft, <a href="/facts/Heinkel_He_177/WGrFAnSy">Heinkel He 177</a>A heavy bomber and <a href="/facts/Messerschmitt_Me_323/Dqfwa6tg">Messerschmitt Me 323</a> transport used the same rotational "sense" as the production P-38 did – this has also been done for the modern American <a href="/facts/Bell_Boeing_V-22_Osprey/Ytjrq0mB">Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey</a> tiltrotor VTOL military aircraft design. The following German World War II aviation engines were designed as opposing-rotation pairs for counter-rotation needs: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/BMW_801/3G0FNsq2">BMW 801A and B</a>, and G/H subtypes</li> <li><a href="/facts/Daimler-Benz_DB_604/2K6Mj7Xr">Daimler-Benz DB 604</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Daimler-Benz_DB_606/EN5jUd8k">Daimler-Benz DB 606</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Daimler-Benz_DB_610/ThgYU39m">Daimler-Benz DB 610</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Junkers_Jumo_222/DsLbbBjk">Junkers Jumo 222</a></li></ul> <p>The aerodynamics of a propeller on one side of an aircraft change according to which way it turns, as it affects the <a href="/facts/P-factor/HLUSEnj7">P-factor</a>. This can in turn affect performance under extreme conditions and therefore flight safety certification. Some modern types, such as the <a href="/facts/Airbus_A400M/EDSvblNt">Airbus A400M</a>, have counter-rotating propellers in order to meet air safety requirements under engine-out conditions. </p> <h2 id="list-of-aircraft-with-counter-rotating-propellers">List of aircraft with counter-rotating propellers</h2> <table><tbody><tr><th>Type</th><th>Country</th><th>Date</th><th>Notes</th></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Airbus_A400M_Atlas/EDSvblNt">Airbus A400M Atlas</a></td><td>EU</td><td>2009</td><td>Four engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Beech_Duchess/ve88t45L">Beechcraft 76 Duchess</a></td><td>US</td><td>1974</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/British_Aerospace_Jetstream_41/HagT3jG4">British Aerospace Jetstream 41</a></td><td>UK</td><td>1992</td><td>Twin engine</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Cessna_303/TwxNfPEq">Cessna T303 Crusader</a></td><td>US</td><td>1978</td><td>Twin engines </td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/De_Havilland_Hornet/mbPvz0Ky">de Havilland Hornet</a></td><td>UK</td><td>1944</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Dunne_D.1/4nS6Vxru">Dunne D.1</a></td><td>UK</td><td>1907</td><td>Twin engines in fuselage on a common driveshaft</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Dunne_D.4/4nS6Vxru">Dunne D.4</a></td><td>UK</td><td>1908</td><td>Single central engine</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Dunne_D.5/fXoMx4WK">Dunne D.5</a></td><td>UK</td><td>1910</td><td>Single central engine</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Fairey_F.2/WS1QwuTr">Fairey F.2</a></td><td>UK</td><td>1917</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Gotha_Go_244/cQucck6c">Gotha Go 244</a></td><td>Germany</td><td>1942</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Heinkel_He_177/WGrFAnSy">Heinkel He 177</a>A <i>Greif</i> (fourth prototype onwards)</td><td>Germany</td><td>1940</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Henschel_Hs_129/MzMGFQn0">Henschel Hs 129</a></td><td>Germany</td><td>1942</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Junkers_Ju_288/USFy32j9">Junkers Ju 288</a></td><td>Germany</td><td>1940</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Linke-Hofmann_R.I/YMUVW9o6">Linke-Hofmann R.I</a></td><td>Germany</td><td>1917</td><td>Four engines in fuselage</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Lockheed_P-38_Lightning/obGnR2Db">Lockheed P-38 Lightning</a></td><td>US</td><td>1939</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Messerschmitt_Me_323/Dqfwa6tg">Messerschmitt Me 323</a> <i>Gigant</i></td><td>Germany</td><td>1943</td><td>Six engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/North_American_P-82_Twin_Mustang/xu8nE37j">North American P-82 Twin Mustang</a></td><td>US</td><td>1946</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/North_American_Rockwell_OV-10_Bronco/WeMMeK8z">North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco</a></td><td>US</td><td>1969</td><td>Twin engines </td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Piaggio_P.180_Avanti/Up5YMBay">Piaggio P.180 Avanti</a></td><td>Italy</td><td>1986</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Piper_PA-31_Navajo/vPBe4vxX">Piper PA-31 Navajo</a> (some variants)</td><td>US</td><td>1967</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Piper_PA-34_Seneca/dvBejXkT">Piper PA-34 Seneca</a></td><td>US</td><td>1971</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Piper_PA-30_Twin_Comanche/gUzDLFhJ">Piper PA-39 Twin Comanche C/R</a></td><td>US</td><td>1962</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Piper_PA-40_Arapaho/5n4Qz1uh">Piper PA-40 Arapaho</a></td><td>US</td><td>1973</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Piper_PA-44_Seminole/tUTvdAzn">Piper PA-44 Seminole</a></td><td>US</td><td>1978</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Vought_V-173/r3pyfGHy">Vought V-173</a> <i>Flying Pancake</i></td><td>US</td><td>1942</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><a href="/facts/Vought_XF5U/V7A1N8t9">Vought XF5U</a> <i>Flying Pancake</i></td><td>US</td><td>1947</td><td>Twin engines</td></tr><tr><td><i><a href="/facts/Wright_Flyer/AltAzzvr">Wright Flyer</a></i> and most other Wright models to 1916</td><td>US</td><td>1903</td><td>Single central engine.</td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Tiltrotor/eEaMwosw">Tiltrotor</a> – Aircraft type</li> <li><a href="/facts/Contra-rotating_propellers/1l6S03PW">Contra-rotating propellers</a> – Two-propeller design for improving low-airspeed maneuverability</li> <li><a href="/facts/Intermeshing_rotors/hfWtWoIr">Intermeshing rotors</a> – Helicopter with two rotors turning in opposite directionsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets</li> <li><a href="/facts/Screw-propelled_vehicle/oQEel4uw">Screw-propelled vehicle</a> – Vehicle propelled by load-bearing rotating helical flanges</li></ul> Notes Bibliography <ul><li>Gunston, Bill. <i>Jane's Aerospace Dictionary</i>. London, England. Jane's Publishing Company Ltd, 1980. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 0 531 03702 9</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Counter-rotating propellant analysis using a frequency domain panel method <a href="http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/3.25453" target="_blank">http://arc.aiaa.org/doi/abs/10.2514/3.25453</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>