🌀 EASA PART-66 · DGCA CAR-66 · MODULE 17A · B1

Aircraft Propellers

A complete, exam-focused Module 17A course for the B1 licence — blade element theory, blade angle and slip, the forces on a propeller, wooden, metal and composite construction, governors and pitch control, feathering and reverse, synchronising and synchrophasing, ice protection, inspection, repair, tracking and balancing, and storage and preservation. Each chapter has a narrated explainer with diagrams, a full written lesson, a mind map, flashcards and a quiz, all mapped to the current Part-66 / CAR-66 syllabus.

9
Chapters
62
Explainer slides
153
Exam questions
152
Flashcards
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Start learningBegin with Chapter 1 — how a propeller blade makes thrust.
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Mock examThe real B1 paper: 32 questions in 40 minutes, weighted by sub-module — or a 16-question half paper.
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Key facts cheat sheetEvery key angle, limit, rule and definition from the course on one searchable page.
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Free reference libraryThe FAA Powerplant Handbook propeller chapter opened at the right page, AC 43.13-1B and the syllabus.

Chapters

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CHAPTER 1 · Syllabus 17.1 · level 2
How a Propeller Makes Thrust
Blade element theory, blade angle and angle of attack, the relative airflow a blade section sees, geometric and effective pitch, slip and efficiency, and the range of blade angles from reverse to feather.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~35 min🃏 18✅ 18 Q
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CHAPTER 2 · Syllabus 17.1 · level 2
Forces, Torque, Vibration and Resonance
The loads a turning propeller carries — centrifugal force, thrust and torque bending, centrifugal and aerodynamic twisting moments — then torque reaction, slipstream, P-factor and gyroscopic precession, and how vibration and resonance arise and are controlled.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~30 min🃏 15✅ 14 Q
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CHAPTER 3 · Syllabus 17.2 · level 2
Propeller Construction and Materials
How wooden, aluminium alloy, steel and composite propellers are built, and the names of every part of a propeller — hub, shank, butt, blade face and back, leading and trailing edge, tip and blade stations.
🎬 6 slides📖 ~30 min🃏 16✅ 15 Q
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CHAPTER 4 · Syllabus 17.2 · level 2
Propeller Types and Installation
Fixed-pitch, ground-adjustable, controllable-pitch, constant-speed, feathering and reversing propellers; tractor, pusher, contra- and counter-rotating layouts; and how propellers and spinners are fitted to flanged, tapered and splined shafts.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~30 min🃏 16✅ 14 Q
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CHAPTER 5 · Syllabus 17.3 · level 2
Governors and Constant-Speed Operation
How a propeller governor senses rpm with flyweights against a speeder spring and moves a pilot valve to send oil to or from the hub; on-speed, underspeed and overspeed conditions; single- and double-acting systems; and how non-feathering single-engine propellers are built.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~35 min🃏 16✅ 16 Q
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CHAPTER 6 · Syllabus 17.3 · level 2
Feathering, Reverse and Overspeed Protection
Feathering and unfeathering of light-twin and Hydromatic propellers, autofeather, the beta range and reverse pitch on turboprops, PT6-type and electronically controlled propeller systems, and the devices that protect against overspeed: overspeed governors, pitch locks and flight-idle stops.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~40 min🃏 18✅ 18 Q
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CHAPTER 7 · Syllabus 17.4 · 17.5 · level 2
Synchronising and Ice Protection
How multi-engine aircraft keep their propellers at the same speed and in a fixed phase relationship to cut noise and vibration, active noise suppression, and how propellers are protected from ice with fluid anti-icing and electrical de-icing — including inspection and testing of brush blocks, timers and overshoes.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~35 min🃏 18✅ 20 Q
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CHAPTER 8 · Syllabus 17.6 · level 3
Inspection, Damage Assessment and Repair
How wooden, aluminium, steel and composite propellers are inspected, how to judge erosion, corrosion, nicks, cracks, impact damage and delamination against limits, what to do after a ground strike, and the minor and major repair and protective treatment schemes used on blades.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~40 min🃏 17✅ 18 Q
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CHAPTER 9 · Syllabus 17.6 · 17.7 · level 2–3
Tracking, Balancing, Ground Running and Storage
Checking blade track and blade angles with the universal propeller protractor, static and dynamic balancing, propeller engine ground runs and troubleshooting, and how propellers, governors and accumulators are preserved, stored and returned to service.
🎬 7 slides📖 ~40 min🃏 18✅ 20 Q

How the syllabus maps to this course

SyllabusSub-moduleB1 levelB1 QsChapter
17.1Fundamentals281, 2
17.2Propeller construction253, 4
17.3Propeller pitch control265, 6
17.4Propeller synchronising227
17.5Propeller ice protection237
17.6Propeller maintenance368, 9
17.7Propeller storage and preservation229
Total32
The Module 17A paper

Category B1: 32 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes. Category A: 20 questions in 25 minutes. Module 17 is not part of the B2 licence; B3 sits the separate Module 17B. That is a nominal 75 seconds per question, pass mark 75%, no negative marking. The per-sub-module numbers in the table are the recommended distribution in the AMC to Part-66 / CAR-66 Appendix II.

B1 depth

B1 needs level 2 for every sub-module except propeller maintenance, which is level 3 — expect detailed questions on damage limits, tracking, balancing, blade angle checks and engine ground runs. Know which way the blades move for each governor condition, and what drives a blade to feather.

How to use this course

1) Watch the chapter explainer for the big picture. 2) Read the lesson and study every diagram — Module 17 is about forces, oil flows and blade angles. 3) Walk the mind map and flip the flashcards the next day. 4) Take the chapter quiz until you score 75% or more. 5) When every chapter is green, sit the timed mock exam and review every wrong answer.