The propellor
The first Spitfires had simple two-bladed laminated wooden propellers. However, during 1940, these were rapidly replaced with variable-pitch propellers (also called constant-speed airscrews) to deliver maximum acceleration at low speed and take-off (fine pitch) and best performance at higher speeds (coarse pitch).
As Spitfire engines were being improved continuously, propellers with more blades had to be developed to handle their increasing horsepower. This five-bladed example was made by the Rotol company.
| 
|
