How did German planes shoot through propellers?
Machine guns were mounted on the top of the fuselage, directly in front of the pilot, but that position placed the gun directly behind the propeller. The gun had to be designed to fire through the propeller without hitting it, which was not an easy task.
How did the Flyers solve the problem of the use of machine guns firing through their own propellers?
The problem was solved by the addition of a gear-like disc on the propeller that would only allow the gun to fire in between the blades’ rotation. Often called an “interrupter” the disc did not actually interrupt the firing of the weapon, it merely allowed it to fire semiautomatically instead of at an even pace.
How do single propeller planes work?
The propeller works by displacing the air pulling it behind itself (the action), this movement of air then results in the aircraft being pushed forward from the resulting pressure difference (the opposite reaction). The more air that is pulled behind the propeller the more thrust or forward propulsion is generated.
How do the bullets not hit the propeller?
They developed a synchronization gear, or a gun synchronizer, sometimes rather less accurately referred to as an interrupter, is attached to the armament of a single-engined tractor -type aircraft so it can fire through the arc of its spinning propeller without bullets striking the blades.
When were machine guns added to planes?
April 1, 1915
The French were the first to develop an effective solution. On April 1, 1915 French pilot Roland Garros took to the air in an airplane armed with a machine gun that fired through its propeller.
Who invented machine gun through propeller?
Leutnant Otto Bernatzik
Designed by Leutnant Otto Bernatzik, it was geared down to deliver a firing impulse every second revolution of the propeller, and fired at about 380 to 400 rounds per gun.
Who was the first person to fire a machine gun through a propeller arc?
Garros
Garros was 26 when he became the first pilot to down an enemy airplane with a machine gun firing through the propeller.
What issue did the creation of interrupters overcome?
Sync gear, also known as an interrupter or gun synchronizer, was developed during World War I to ensure that an armament attached to a single-engine aircraft could fire through the spinning arc of a propeller without damaging the propeller blades.
Why are propellers twisted?
There is a twist along the length of a propeller blade because the blade speed is much higher at the tip than it is at the root. The twist is necessary to maintain a more or less constant angle of attack along the length of the blade.
How are propellers attached?
The propeller consist of two or more blades connected together by a hub. The hub serves to attach the blades to the engine shaft. . When the engine rotates the propeller blades, the blades produce lift. This lift is called thrust and moves the aircraft forward.
Can you mount a gun on a plane?
You may transport unloaded firearms in a locked hard-sided container as checked baggage only. Declare the firearm and/or ammunition to the airline when checking your bag at the ticket counter. The container must completely secure the firearm from being accessed. Locked cases that can be easily opened are not permitted.
Why do machine guns not fire through propeller blades?
The aircraft had a mechanical linkage to prevent the gun (s) from firing when the propeller blade would be in the bullets’ path. The use of metal “armor” on the propeller blade was dropped when machine guns changed to fire larger bullets with more force/mass/velocity, like the .50 caliber (0.5 inch diameter) bullets.
How does a propeller bump on the shaft of a plane?
The bump on the shaft would momentarily separate the pilot’s trigger from the machine gun. As a result, the machine gun would stop firing (aka be interrupted) for a fraction of a second as the propeller would sweep past the machine gun barrel. Later in WWII this technology mattered much less as jet engines made the entire concept obsolete.
How do you shoot a bullet through a propeller?
In shooting bullets through a propeller, the propeller itself is the device that arranges the timing and when it is passing a certain sector in its arc it is made to interrupt the circuit that fires the machine guns.
How do you fire the gun without pulling the trigger?
Basically, pulling the trigger is not sufficient to fire the gun. The trigger must be pulled AND the propeller out of the way. This is done through a mechanical linkage that is connected to the propeller. This is a great demonstration of it in action: