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From: phil@isieng.UUCP (Phil Gustafson)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Coriolis force...
Message-ID: <195@isieng.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 14:34:07 EST
Article-I.D.: isieng.195
Posted: Thu Jan 16 14:34:07 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jan-86 07:45:30 EST
References: <605@harvard.UUCP>
Reply-To: phil@isieng.UUCP (Phil Gustafson)
Organization: Integrated Solutions, San Jose, CA
Lines: 20

In article <605@harvard.UUCP> greg@harvard.UUCP (Greg) writes:
>Has anyone noticed that airplane propellors always spin in one direction?
>I think it's due to the Coriolis force, but I'm not sure...

If they spun in the other direction, the plane would go backwards. (:-)

Or, they DO spin the other way in Australia!  This proves your point! (:-)

Actually, it's just a matter of convention. With the exception mentioned
below, all U.S. piston engines turn clockwise (as seen by the pilot).
British engines turn counterclockwise.  This means, for reasons that
could tie up a newsgroup for months, that American single-engine aircraft
tend to yaw to the left in climb and British ones to the right.  The change
required in pilot technique is not difficult.

Some twin-engine aircraft have counter-rotating props.  This is expensive
(special tooling for low-production backwards engines and props) but
solves the yaw-on-climb problem.

	phil