News Releases

March 2009

Light aviation - Success of the flight tests for the Anibal “silent” propeller

 

Onera has recently conducted flight tests for the Anibal* propeller.They confirm the noise reduction predictions of Onera engineers.This great success is a step toward answering a major environmental question:the reduction of light aircraft noise.

Between 15th and 17th October 2008 Onera ran flight tests on a 5 blade propeller fitted on a Robin DR400 m180R glider towing aircraft. The results of the tests show that Onera’s objective of reducing acoustic nuisance by 8 decibels has been attained, even exceeded. Moreover, the observed aerodynamic performance in glider towing appears superior to that of the current two-blade propeller.

This success is the fruit of cooperation between several partners: Onera, for the design and aero-acoustic simulations, Duc Propellers for their innovative engineering and technology, the DGAC (Direction General de l’Aviation Civile) for the finance and technical support and the FFVV (Fédération Française de Vol à Voile – french gliding federation), the primary interested party.

The Anibal propeller, diameter 1.68 m, comprises five relatively thin blades in forged carbon. It boasts a noise reduction capacity of 8 decibels and offers an efficiency that is comparable to current metal two-blade propellers, at an acceptable production cost.

The next step: certification of the propeller for the Duc Propellers SME so that it can be marketed as soon as possible, as the FFVV wants to use it as standard in the coming months. More studies and research will be necessary to extend the scope of this technological innovation: three and five blade propellers for current thermal engine aircraft and a smaller diameter propeller for new aircraft fitted with electrical engines.

Contact : Claude Le Tallec , engineer-researcher at Onera

 

* Anibal : Atténuation du Niveau de Bruit des Aéronefs Légers

 

Last Update: June 13, 2008 - © ONERA 2009 - Terms of use