Fixed pitch choice
 

I'm currently at the point of ordering a prop for my 9A that I am powering with a O-290. I have looked at a few and I seem to come back to either a sterba or catto. Catto seems to be popular but sterba wins hands down on price. I am looking for input from people who have experience with fixed pitch props, keeping in mind that price is on of my priorities. Thanks Bob Collins

I presently have a Catto Prop on my RV-6. It replaced a Sterba Propeller that worked very well on the airplane, but I live in the Pacific Northwest where it rains alot. Flying the Sterba Prop in rain means throttling back to about 2100 RPMs to keep the rain from damaging the finish. I had hoped the Catto Propeller would eliminate the problem with rain, but it too was damaged while flying in the rain. I recently sent the prop to Catto for repair and installation of Rain Guard on the leading edge. I haven't flown it in the rain yet, so the jury is still out.
The wood propellers require constant re-torquing with weather changes. With the Catto Prop, you tighten it to specification and basically leave it alone, but I'll be checking on it from time to time.

Bob Severns

I also stated with a Sterba, and ended up with a Catto. Sterba makes a fine prop and is a good guy to deal with (as is Craig Catto) and if your mission profile does not have you flying in rain much, then I would recommend the Sterba. Any wood prop will require re-torquing several times a year, but this is not a big job.

Another Choice