Controllable pitch propeller

Controllable Pitch Propeller. (Abb. "c.p. prop"). Propeller, the pitch of the blades of which can be changed, within previously determined limits during rotation.

A controllable pitch propeller whose pitch is automatically varied in flight by a governor to maintain a constant r.p.m. in spite of varying air loads.

What the FAA considers as "complex" is an aircraft with retractable gear (goes up and down just like an airliner), adjustable flaps (just about every modern training aircraft has them), and a controllable pitch propeller (that means you can change ...

A specific number of hours of complex aircraft time, a portion of the examination is performed in a complex aircraft.
A complex aircraft must have rectangular landing gear, movable flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller.

See also: Propeller, Maintain, Plane, Structure, Speed