Catto 3 blade coming apart
 

A buddy of mine flying a GlasairII with a Catto 3 blade threw off about 4 inches of the nickel leading edge. Anyone else hear of something like that? Catto is sending him a new prop, which is great.

Not yet. I know aerobatic guys turning their nickel edge Cattos 3,000+ RPM. First integrity issue I've heard of with a Catto.

Mike. Do you know what the date of manufacture was of that prop? I was the first UK customer to receive the nickel leading edge made in December 2010.

Bob,
The prop was ordered last summer and pitched for his HP/Plane configuration. He made it back to his field at idle, said the plane shook violently at higher rpms, and even at idle it was pretty bad. Catto is taking care of it, and am sure he will find out why it failed. When I get the reason it failed, I will post it.

Thanks.
 

That is always a good thing to follow up, folks learn from such actions.

Another data point.
 

I purchased a Catto two blade last year with the nickel leading edge. I had it about 8 months when I noticed a nick on the leading edge with a hairline crack going straight back. I fly off of pavement but still must of sucked up some small rock somewhere.

I contacted catto and was told it needed replaced and shouldn't put too many more hours on it. There is even a guideline they use for grounding based on crack size, where its at etc. . I dont remember the guidelines but it was based on the props they were selling on the carbon cubs I believe.

So, about $500 later and several weeks I was flying again. My new prop that I had purchased to replace my Sterba cost almost as much as the sterba originally did just to repair a rock chip and my piece of mind is gone.

I had an Aymar Demuth wood prop loose a chunk a few years ago and didn't enjoy the excitement that followed. I convinced my wife that this big $ prop was the answer and would give us the piece of mind we wanted.

I believe it still should be fine for rain. .. but definetly cant take any fod and I look it over closely before EVERY flight and would suggest anyone flying behind one do the same and closely. The crack I had was only a hairline and easy to miss.

Trust me, you definetly dont want to be losing pieces of the prop in flight. Been there, done that!

Hmmm, I found it interesting Craig himself talked me out of the nickel leading edge when I ordered my prop almost 1 1/2 years ago.

Don, what was Craig's argument against the nickel edge? I have an older 3B (no tape or nickel) on the RV-6 (o-360) and so far it's been great. Just some minor scrapes and scuffs.

I called him to order my 3 blade and asked him about nickel edges. I got a 30 minute education on the phone. He claimed the nickel really didn't offer that much advantage in that it was still prone to rock damage and was harder to repair if damaged and also had the possibility of delaminating and cracking at the damaged area where the composite was really easy to fix and more forgiving. The only advantage he mentioned (besides looking cool) was the lack of a restriction flying in moderate precip. He claimed the restriction was a non issue since if you were flying in moderate precip you would reduce power anyway... He did tell me some of the large diameter carbon cub props were delaminating the nickel edge. He solved that problem, and though it was never a problem in smaller diameter rv props it has happened on a few.
Didn't sound like it was worth the extra expense to me so mine doesn't have the nickel. Love the prop too!! Craig is an awesome guy, just give him a call and he will give you a terrific education.

Interesting about the nickel leading edge...I ordered my 3-blade prop a few months ago and can't recall Craig trying to persuade me one way or the other.

BTW, if you ever get a chance to visit his facility in the California central Sierra Nevada foothills, do so. It's very impressive the amount of high-tech he uses in both design and manufacturing. He'll be moving everything to a local airport in August, so it will be easier to visit. Worth going out of your way some, or picking up your prop in person if you can.