MT 3 bladed prop

[hharney]

LES BRINDLE OWNS THE STC FOR THE THREE BLADE MT'S
HE HAS A 68 NORMAL THAT DID ALL THE R&D
I THINK I WAS THE FIRST REAL CUSTOMER
PUT THEM ON JANUARY OF 2003
I REALLY LIKE THEM
VERY SMOOTH, MUCH MORE RESPONSIVE, QUIETER, AND I GAINED 60 LBS USEFUL.

TO MY KNOWLEGE THE FRONT AND REAR ARE THE SAME SIZE

[FRED-E]

hharney
If you don,t mind me asking, what was the cost of the prop and dose he have a web site?
Fred N358

[hharney]

PRICES ARE SET BY MT IN GERMANY. ONE OF THE ISSUES IS FREIGHT. IT'S NOT UNREASONABLE BUT IT IS MORE THAN MCCAULY.

IF I REMEMBER WHEN I PURCHASED, THE COST OF THE MT'S WERE WITHIN A FEW DOLLARS OF FACTORY NEW MCCAULY'S. THE MT'S TOOK LONGER AND THE FREIGHT WAS A BIT MORE.

TALK TO OWEN BELL, HE HAS DISTRIBUTION FOR MT

[Richard]

I'm working on a STC for a 4 blade prop for the 337.

Here's a picture.


Electric pitch control, with automatic sync'ing of the front and rear props. Also, you have 4 "common" rpm buttons that allows you to pitch both props to your favorite rpm with one button. Price for both props are looking like they will be around $18K. A little less than the MT's. They are going through vibration testing now, and having the installation documentation written up.

Also, manual pitch uses the same stock levers.

TOTAL install weight is 33lbs front and 32.5lbs rear.

[WebMaster]

you should consider marrying it up with an innodyne engine, since they require an electrically controlled prop. 188 pounds, 205 HP. Good power to weight ratio.

Innodyn turbine

[hharney]

I WAS TOLD THAT MORE BLADES LESS SPEED. NOT SURE IT IS TRUE OF NOT BUT THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. I THINK I MAY HAVE LOST 1 - 2 KNOTS WITH THE MT'S. THE CLIMB PERFORMANCE IS BETTER, AND A LOT SMOOTHER.

WHAT IS THE COMPOSITION AND WHERE ARE THEY MADE?

[Richard]

You are correct. More blades = Less speed
Positives are = Better climb, lower noise, and less engine wear.

These are a wood core with laminate skin. They have a polycarbon leading edge that is easily replaced.

My motivation with these were to get rid of the hydraulic system so you can feather / unfeather without the engine running, less weight. I wanted better climb on one engine for safety reasons. At the cost of a few knots.

We are now two years into them. Blades are custom made in Austrialia.

Front
70"
Rear
68"

Anybody interested when we get them done? (1-2 more months)

[Nick Bailey]

richard,
Anything new to report on the progress of 4 blade composite props?

[Richard]

Things are coming along.... slowly. Documentation and testing still. Rear is completely done. Front is waiting on spinner. Shouldn't be too long now. Looks good huh?

[Nick Bailey]

Richard,
Great to hear you are making progress. Am interested in hearing how performance is affected. Please keep me updated.

[Richard]

Interesting news. The company making these 4 bladed props have been approached in building them for the INNODYNE turbine. Looks like the same prop will be used.... Innodyne wanted a fast pitch change on the hub, so they started timing the pitch change from fine to feather...... tests are in.... less than 3 seconds!

[Kevin McDonnell]

I bet that'll make them the first wooden props ever used on a turbine.

[hharney]

FYI

I ESTIMATE 1 - 2 KNOTS OF SPEED REDUCTION ON THE 3 BLADE MT'S

2-300 FEET PER MINUTE INCREASE IN THE CLIMB OUT. IT'S A HOMESICK ANGEL

THE MOST NOTICABLE BENEFIT IS THE SMOOTH OPERATION. NO VIBRATION. VERY RESPOSIVE. WHEN APPLY FULL THROTTLE ON TAKE OFF, IT REALLY SETS YOU BACK IN THE SEAT IMMEDIATLY. WITH THE MCCAULEY'S THERE WAS A SLIGHT DELAY AND THEN IT CAUGHT UP.

CAN'T REALLY TELL IF THERE IS A DECREASE IN NOISE. THE SOUND IS DIFFERENT BUT NOT SURE IF IT'S QUIETER.

NEED SOME OPINONS FROM THE GROUND WHEN I TAKE OFF. HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED A GOOD COMPARRISON.

ONE ASPECT THAT CONCERNS ME IS THE REAR IS VERY SUSEPTABLE TO NICKS AND CHIPS. I HAVE HAD TWO INCIDENTS ON THE REAR PROP IN TWO YEARS. ONE WAS THE SIZE OF A HALF DOLLAR ON THE TRAILING REAR OF THE BLADE. THE OTHER WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A DIME AGAIN ON THE REAR OF THE BLADE. OBJECTS CONTACT THE FRONT OF THE BLADE AND BLOW OUT THE FIBERGLASS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE. NO BIG DEAL JUST USE SOME 5 MINUTE EPOXY AND SOME TIME TO SAND AND PAINT.

[Goat150]

Do you have Les phone number so I can talk to him about
the Props, I'm sorry I'm a new member and I'm trying to find very one ,but at this time I need more work finding info on the web page. But I'm so glad there was a web page for Skymaster Pilots.
Mark

[WebMaster]

I think Les has turned this whole thing over to Owen Bell. I don't recall Owen's phone number, but it's listed on the link to web pages.