
Originally Posted by
Frank Giger
Well, yes, they keep the same cooling system.
Let's look at the VW engine, which is opposed cylinders cooled in the automobile with air coming from above and down through cooling fins.
In an aircraft, it's the same, but done slightly differently. The air coming into the cowling from the front is cut in two horizontally, with baffling put between the layers. The top section is blocked off, making it high pressure, and the air has only one place to go - through the cooling fins of the cylinders. It works really well.
If RPMs are too high for the desired propeller, a Prop Speed Reduction Unit is used. It's essentially two pulleys of different sizes (the prop being put on the larger one) being driven by a belt (or even a gear).