Originally Posted by
slawecki
the dash8 turbo prop can back up. it does not reverse thrust the engines, just changes the blades to a negative angle. was (is?) common at small airfields with no tugs.
do jet engines acutally reverse and reverse thrust, or just stick a blocker thing over the output, and blow fwd?
The latter. The engines can only suck in air, so reverse thrust blocks the exhaust and directs it forwards (more or less) around the engine. You can see this with the clamshell-type reverse thrust on a 737-200 or MD-80.