General Why bullets do not hit airplane propellers

[Soup]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFJhAB5KBXo

 

[kvr28]

Wonder how many props were destroyed before the engineers figured it out 100%

 

[CuddleBug]

Wonder how many props were destroyed before the engineers figured it out 100%

I think the rear gunner would take out the tail a lot too. That probably pissed the pilot off to no end, suddenly the plane starts flying weird and he knew immediately Charlie shot off the rudder again.

 

[NotBanjaxo]

Wonder how many props were destroyed before the engineers figured it out 100%

There was one very early design (before synchronisationwas properly figured out) that had wedge shaped metal pieces attached to the propeller in line with the machine guns. The idea was that any bullets that hit the propeller would ricochet away to one side.

I don't know if that idea ever actually made it onto an aircraft, I can't imagine it would be successful.

 

[Courtesy Bear]

 

[kvr28]

View attachment 126591

Lol, I couldn't remember which movie it was from

 

[CasketCaseZombie]

There was one very early design (before synchronisationwas properly figured out) that had wedge shaped metal pieces attached to the propeller in line with the machine guns. The idea was that any bullets that hit the propeller would ricochet away to one side.

I don't know if that idea ever actually made it onto an aircraft, I can't imagine it would be successful.

It did. I’ve seen photos of them. Fairly short-lived solution and not perfect by any means. In the meantime they had various work-arounds like machine gun mounted on top wing to fire over the prop, and a lot of pusher designs that put the prop in the back so there was nothing out front to hit, though those aircraft tended to perform poorly.

 

[NiteProwleR]

I didn't even know the guns were behind the fucker.