Definition
A cockpit control, found on airplanes equipped with a constant-speed propeller, that sets the desired propeller speed in revolutions per minute (RPM) by adjusting blade pitch through the propeller governor. Moving the control forward selects a higher RPM (flatter blade pitch); moving it aft selects a lower RPM (coarser blade pitch). It is typically the middle lever in a three-lever quadrant, between the throttle and the mixture.
Plain English
It is the lever the pilot uses to choose how fast the propeller spins. The pilot picks the RPM, and the propeller's internal mechanism keeps it there by changing the angle of the blades.
Context Anchor
You see this control in airplanes with constant-speed propellers, including during engine shutdown when the checklist tells the pilot where to place the propeller control.
Derivation
Propeller comes from a Latin idea meaning “to drive forward.” Control means “to direct or regulate.” Together, propeller control means the cockpit control used to regulate the propeller rather than a part of the propeller itself.
Why Pilots Care
Correct positioning prevents engine overspeed damage and minimizes drag on shutdown.
Grounding Statement
On a constant-speed propeller airplane, the throttle controls engine power and the propeller control sets the rpm the propeller tries to maintain.
Intuition Check
Do not read “propeller control” as meaning the pilot directly twists the propeller blades by hand. The pilot moves a cockpit control, and the airplane’s propeller system changes blade angle to hold the selected rpm.
Example Sentence 1
Before takeoff, the pilot pushed the propeller control fully forward to set high RPM for maximum power.
Example Sentence 2
In cruise the pilot fine-tuned the propeller control to hold 2,400 RPM as altitude changed.