Propeller control during engine start:
- is not active during engine start, as the propeller blades remain in whatever position they were in when the engine was shut down
- positions the blades at maximum coarse pitch to provide the highest possible thrust immediately when the engine starts running
- positions the blades at a low pitch angle to minimise the load on the starter motor and allow the engine to accelerate to idle
Explanation
For starting, the propeller is set to a low (fine) pitch so the blades take a small bite of air and present low aerodynamic resistance, minimising the torque the starter must overcome and letting the engine accelerate cleanly to idle. Coarse pitch would heavily load the starter, so the control is active and biased to fine during start.
JayACA asking:
The PT6 starts with the blades in feather?
Community Comments (1)
S
svenj88 Posts: 2 23.07.2026 / 11:17
Actually, C is correct for the general case, since a low blade angle presents the least air load and lets the engine accelerate to idle with minimum starter effort. On the PT6 the propeller is a free-turbine layout decoupled from the starter, and on most reversing installations it rests on the fine-pitch start locks rather than in feather, so C still applies.
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