Originally Posted by
SplineDrive
Raider's prop is just a foot or so from the YT706 exhaust, so it likely always spins, by design, to prevent excessive heating on the prop blades (if the prop were braked).
"X-Wing"... there's a technological dead end we haven't heard of in a long, long time.
And the clutch design was fantastic, well before my time. Comparing it to some other "modern" clutches. Does JSF ring a bell?
I think is more likely to be an oversight in design to let the blades keep rotating on the ground. Not sure you would get much cooling effect with a relatively slow rpm rotation of the blades. The engine would be at ground idle condition, so maybe the exhaust is relatively cool.
If Sikorsky always needed to have the clutch engaged, there would be no reason to have a clutch.
I am guessing whoever designed the clutch wasn't aware you need spring separators to "unstick" the clutch plates. And maybe Sikorsky did not want to add the weight of a brake.
If Sikorsky needed to always keep the clutch engaged, there would be no reason to have a clutch.