FT-22 Prop issue

Banjo77

New member
Hey everyone! Total noob here. I know nothing about this stuff, but just built my first plane!

1. Josh Bixler says the prop numbers face forward in all his videos and that the motor is supposed to turn counterclockwise. (Point of view from the rear of an FT-22.). Well, my prop doesn’t fly with the prop numbers facing forward and with the the motor turning counterclockwise (doesn’t scoop air). So I swapped 2 of the motor wire connections and now have the motor spinning clockwise and prop numbers facing forward. Flies good now. How come my setup doesn’t work like Bixler says in the vids?
2. I’m a total rookie. Very first RC build. Nothing worked right the first time like in the videos. Thanks to everyone here for posting and giving me plenty of answers already. Good quarantine project. Already broke it in half today, repaired and got 6 flights in. All in my first day.
 

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FDS

Elite member
Don’t worry about direction the motor spins in, props can be CW or CCW as well, if you have a CCW prop turning CW it won’t make thrust. The leading edge of the prop should be the raised side, lettering facing the direction of travel.
Once the motor is set up on the bench it’s always a good idea to go outside and do a thrust test with a prop on. We have all ended up in this situation at least once, you looked at it and fixed it, well done!
 

sundown57

Legendary member
i too have been trying to figure this out. when I did my pusher I could get it right so I ended up putting the prop on so the numbers were facing the plane. that worked for me. so if I'm using a CCW prop with the numbers facing toward the back on a pusher what direction would I want the motor?
 

FDS

Elite member
Motor turning in the direction that the raised edge of the blade points with the writing facing the nose.
 

The Hangar

Fly harder!
Mentor
Welcome to the forums - the FT-22 is a great place to start! Always have the numbers facing the nose of the plane like Bixler said. Whether your motor spins CCW or CW will depend on whether you're using a CCW or CW prop. In the FT power packs I believe they only include CCW props. It doesn't really matter which way you have to make your motor spin, so the main reason that there are the two different types of props is when you build twin motored planes you have the motors spinning opposite directions to counteract the torque of the motors.
Have fun!
 

Figure9

Elite member
A bit of full size propeller facts that RC modelers often ignore is that the rotation of an engine & thus the propeller should always be described from the position as seen by the pilot. Same for left & right wings, etc.
However, on a typical RC model the prop is often described as rotating counter clockwise as seen from in front of the aircraft. It’s important to figure out prop rotation as defined by the industry you’re working with. Like @FDS says, the print usually goes forward in the direction of travel on RC models, but it’s the shape of the propeller’s airfoil that actually defines how it goes on. Look at it closely & you can tell. Closer to the hub shape of the blade’s airfoil is more apparent. The rounder side to the direction of aircraft travel, the flatter or concave side toward the rear of the aircraft, for rotation it might be noted the leading edge is slightly less sharp than the trailing edge of the prop blades. Again, look closely.