Mike G wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Mon, 06 Jun 2005 08:01:55 -0400, Gogarty said:


A freewheeling propeller creates more drag than a locked on.. Just
consider a helicopter. Engine out and rotors freewheeling, the aircraft
will go down safely. Rotors locked and it drops like a stone.

Bad analogy. In a helicopter when the rotors are freewheeling after the
engine dies they're still rotating in a direction that generates lift.




I just have to ask. In what way is it a bad analogy?

Perhaps you should consider an autogyro:
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/es...togyro/DI8.htm



....


Personally I figure, locked or freewheeling, the difference in the
amount of drag caused by a kicker's prop is going to be so small as to
be a total non issue unless you are into times in parts of a second in
which case you pull the damn thing out of the water anyway.

Well, each to his own. It is often claimed that the difference can be
up to a half of a knot. On a hundred mile passage that can be about an
hour. Given a choice, I'd rather come in before dark. My previous
boat had a two blade which I always locked aligned with the hull; my
current boat has folding props.