Editing Pusher configuration (section)

====Propeller ground clearance and foreign object damage====
Due to the pitch rotation at takeoff, the propeller diameter may have to be reduced (with a loss of efficiency<ref>{{cite book|first1= Malcolm J.|last1= Abzug|first2=  E. Eugene|last2= Larrabee|date= 2002|title= Airplane Stability and Control: A History of the Technologies that Made Aviation Possible|page= 257|publisher= Cambridge University Press|isbn= 9780511607141|doi= 10.1017/CBO9780511607141}}</ref>) or landing gear made longer<ref name= "Aircraft Design" /> and heavier. Many pushers<ref group="note">[[Dornier Do 335]], [[LearAvia Lear Fan]], [[Prescott Pusher]], [[Grob GF 200]], [[Beechcraft Starship]], Vmax Probe</ref> have ventral fins or skids beneath the propeller to prevent the propeller from striking the ground, at an added cost in drag and weight.{{Citation needed|date=October 2011}} On tailless pushers such as the [[Rutan Long-EZ]], the propeller arc is very close to the ground while flying nose-high during takeoff or landing. Objects on the ground kicked up by the wheels can pass through the propeller disc, causing damage or accelerated wear to the blades; in extreme cases, the blades may strike the ground.

When an airplane flies in [[icing conditions]], ice can accumulate on the wings. If an airplane with wing-mounted pusher engines experiences icing, the props will ingest shredded chunks of ice, endangering the propeller blades and parts of the airframe that can be struck by ice violently redirected by the props. In early pusher combat aircraft, spent ammunition casings caused similar problems, and devices for collecting them had to be devised.