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Old 5th February 2006 | 21:49
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arismount
 
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 155
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From: U.S.
Turboprop levers

The turboprops you see with condition levers and throttles only have geared engines, i.e., mechanical connection between the engine (gas producer) and the prop drive shaft. These are "constant speed engines," i.e., the condition lever sets them at idle, and then further up, into a "flight" RPM that's unchanging.
Power is controlled by the throttles, or power levers as they're more properly called. Advance the power lever, the prop takes a bigger bite of air, and generates more thrust. This tends to slow the prop, the fuel control senses this and adds more fuel, maintaining RPM. This happens so fast you can't see any change. In a sense, the prop is governing the engine through the fuel control.
On P&W powered King Airs (all of them except the B100), you have a free-power turbine, i.e., no mechanical connection between the gas producer section of the engine and the separate power turbine. The Condition lever(s) serve only to introduce or shut off fuel to the engine, OR to change the idle speed. The prop levers set the prop governor to maintain prop RPM, and the power levers control power, as above, with the exception that when you push them up, the N1 (gas producer) speed increases...and vice-versa.
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