Constant Speed Prop/ Featering or not....

I wrote this for a reply to a locked thread at Flightsim Com, regarding the same plane, that we have locked threads here. :D But I see some real misconceptions regarding constant speed props on a single engine light plane. This might clear up a few matters. Anyway, "NO", I don't feather the 182's prop, because it would be quite impossible! This "one engine" airplane does NOT have a prop that's capable of featering. You're usually only going to find those on piston twins or jet turbo-props. The prop in the 182 has a fixed range from fine to course, but never full parallel (spell?) to the wind, which is a feathered condition.Now how do I know all this? Most likely, it's because I've installed C/S props, along with the governors, oil tubes, and removing the plug that comes in a new Lycomings hollow crankshaft. Adjusting the governors & so on. I could give a whole lesson on how the governor controlls the oil pressure which is fed into the hollow cranshaft, but I won't.... I'm also rated to fly retractable & constant speed airplanes. Not to mention I "own" a constant speed ( Hartzell prop/ Lycoming ) airplane!Back to school----The advantage of a C/S prop, is that it's like a gear shift, where a fixed prop is always a compromise between full takeoff power & top cruise speed. It's always in the middle, or toward one end or the other.The C/S prop allows as much horse power as you can get with what ever the density altitude is for takeoff. That means, you can get in the air quicker & climb faster. The blue knob will be full forward & prop in "fine" pitch. During the cruise phase, by pulling the prop control out, the prop will become coarser, which is like changing to higher gears. Compared to a fixed prop that's in the middle of takeoff & cruise pitches, the C/S will allow higher cruise speeds. If the fixed prop was set for just cruise, but lousy takeoff performance, the plane might be somewhat lighter, and possibly faster. A C/S prop might be in the 80lb range, while a fixed metal is about half of that. And wood or composites are even lighter.Advantage of a constant speed prop & the pattern & landing....If an airframe is slick enough, without too much drag, such as all the wing wires & bracing on a Pitt's bi-wing, or perhaps the struts on a Cessna, you might have to think about slowing to pattern speed, miles from the airport. With a constant speed, you can rush to the pattern area at much higher speeds, and pushing the blue knob forward, will slow you down, as the prop starts moving to a finer pitch (lower gear). On final approach, the idea is to go full forward, which not only slows you down farther, but allows the engine to develope the highest horse power possible in case of a go-around.So NO, I don't feather the prop for landing, and YES, I go full forward with the prop control!However, since "speed management" is the key to entering the pattern, I can still land the Cessna, whether in full fine pitch, or just leaving the control at perhaps 65%. It works either way.And BTW--- If your speed management is rather bad, and you need around 90 kias or so, with gear down, for the pattern; then pull your thottle back & hold backpressure in level flight until airspeed drops. Then you can pitch down, apply flaps, and whatever.Attached pic, is my constant speed prop. The spinner is off, and you can see the dome, which contains a piston, spring, and air pressure. The oil pressure moves the piston & prop to coarse pitch. If pressure is lost, the spring & air pressure move it to fine pitch.L.Adamson