Giant B-17 crash landing

That’s more like it.

Why do model aircraft always seem to have small two bladed propellers? …..

Models almost always have non-geared output shafts on the engines ( real engines, not electric ) and therefore don’t have the torque to turn a scale three blade prop. The engines just aren’t powerful enough. Adding an engine with enough power and torque is likely to make the model seriously over weight, as with this Tigercat I built for Al’s Hobbies. This model has two five cylinder 150cc radial engines turning scale props, but pushed the all up weight from the 35 to 40 pounds it should have been to over 70 pounds. It was therefore very heavily loaded and had to fly fast to stay in the air.


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Thanks.

A couple of guesses by a non-RC expert…

-electric motors spin at a very high RPM…higher than a real aircraft engine.
At those RPMs, only a two blades prop is necessary.
-If you look at a real B-17 it has very narrow “toothpick” props…scale items would not work on an electric model.

Why do model aircraft always seem to have small two bladed propellers? It ruins the effect on otherwise perfect scale models.

My original comment was a bit tonge-in-cheek, but you’re correct, the one wheel landing is similar to the scene in Tora, Tora, Tora which portrays B-17s arrival in Hawaii during the Japanese attack.
During filming, a B-17 had an actual emergency and film of its landing was used in the final production.

I thought it reminded me of something I’d seen in a film!

Looks just like Paul Mantz doing his wheels up landing in Twelve O’Clock High. 🙂