Propeller cuff on P-51

[alang]

There is some disagreement about the propeller cuff on the P-51, some at FHC say it is to enhance performance and some say it is to improve cooling. 1 argument is that Galloping Ghost had propeller cuffs but no radiator so it couldn't be to improve cooling. What's your opinion and why.

[RandolphB]

The boil off system doesn't really enter into anything to do with blade cuffs. On a stock Mustang, cuffs benefited both carburetor scoop airflow as well as creating a bigger angle of attack not possible structurally for the slower turning inner part of the propeller. It's been said that cuffed blades are slightly faster, and Voodoo and Strega still run them....

[JohnTerrell]

As I've always read, the cuffs were there, not for the radiator, but to improve the airflow into the carburetor intake. I do know that in other past discussions on the topic, current pilots that have flown Mustangs with the various different props and prop configurations have stated that they haven't noticed a notable difference in airspeed performance between having the cuffed-blades and having the non-cuffed blade types (though I assume all in relation to regular "non-racing" operation).

During original manufacture, all P-51B/C's and most P-51D's were manufactured with the cuffed Hamilton Standard blades. The K's were of course manufactured with Aeroproducts blades that didn't have cuffs. Late production D-models from Dallas (D-25-NT's, D-30-NT's) and some of the last D-30-NA's from Inglewood were manufactured with the 'paddle-blade/square-tip/cuff-less' Hamilton Standard blades. So at some point it must have been found that the cuffs weren't really all that beneficiary/important to have.

[dirtysidedown430]

If member did not the early p47 electric prop have cuff of some kind