How are modern plane propellors different from the previous models?

The first propeller drawings were done by Leonardo Da Vinci in the late 1400s. Technology has progressed quite a bit since then, and so have the propellers in use on planes. The first use of propellers was on boats, to move them faster through the water.

When it came to airplanes, there were several theories on how the propellers should work, but it was the Wright Brothers, who took the designs and created them in a way that they resembled part of the wing, instead of a screw-type prototype as had been designed by Alberto Santos Dumont.

As planes have continued to progress over the years, so to have the propellers that are used in these planes. Today, there are several types of propellers available, all of which are dependent on the type of aircraft that is being constructed and modeled.

The basics of each are the same though, even from what the Wright Brothers envisioned. They knew that the wind pushed the plane and that the propellers should be able to change that airflow, from backward to forwards as needed.

Modern propellers run on the same method, but as they are more technologically advanced, they can adjust easier without the lag that the older propellers would have seen. If you compare propellers from today to those used over 100 years ago, there will be some marked differences. Today, there are more pronounced angles on the blades, which allow for smoother airflow, and control.

Also, the number and the width of the blades have changed. Some planes used to run on two to four blades per propeller, but today, the number is between 2-6 dependent on the power needed and the size of the plane. The method used by the Wright’s had an 80% efficiency rate, while the rates today are 90% and above.