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Whirlwind factory tour

A

A5555

Well Known Member
I met Jim Rust at Whirlwind Propeller (KSEE) for a factory tour and he showed me his latest product in development, a new three blade constant speed, and said I could post a few pictures. Note how thin the blade is, that's good for performance. It seems they have invested in technology with a 5 axis mill that produces the hub in one setup for precision parts. My Whirlwind 200RV prop has performed flawlessly for 750 hrs and looks good.

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Vibration survey on IO-390 RV-14
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300 series on RV-8 O-360 light speed ignition
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Did he mention what aircraft/engine they are building this new prop for?
 
That being the case then, if blades need to be refurbished, do we work with the Ohio group or the California group? Hub work and overhauls would be done out of Ohio with blades provided from California?
 
airguy said:
That being the case then, if blades need to be refurbished, do we work with the Ohio group or the California group? Hub work and overhauls would be done out of Ohio with blades provided from California?
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Jim Rust?s company in California Designs makes the raw blades and hubs. They ship the parts to Ohio where they are finished, assembled, and sold to customers. So basically, if you are dealing with a Constant Speed Whirlwind as a customer, you deal with Ohio.

I know the guys at both locations - good folks working hard to provide good products.

Paul
 
I purchased my WW 200C from Jim almost 17 years ago, and between working with him and the Ohio crew I'd recommend their props and service to anybody.
 
Weight & Cost Savings?

For the RV-10 CS Prop model, what is the savings over the 2-blade Hartzell from Vans (cost and weight)?
 
Are they willing to give factory tours on request? I’m local, and a potential customer and wouldn’t mind checking it out.
 
I got a tour of the Austinburg site in January this year and saw the finishing and service area. They used to do all the machining in Ohio, but Jim now has the 5 axis mill and it is done on the west coast. As stated above the finishing is done for the cs props in Ohio.

The new prop is 37 lbs. 72 inch 3 blade. In Jims testing it out climbs and out brakes the rv 200 easily. Cruise numbers where close with the new prop showing maybe a slight edge.

My prop is due for April delivery and should be in the air early summer, if all goes well with finishing my rv 9a ( C-FEES ). I have a 170 hp i0 320,and it should be a good match according to Jeremy in Ohio. I still am not sure if it is to be called the 190 series or the 300 series, or something else.

Jack
 
Whirlwind suggested their new HRT 378 three blade for my 10. They said this was the latest iteration and was a design upgrade from the 200RV.. Quitd price $13.5K which is the same as the MT. Number one on my list right now.
 
WW150

I have the 3 blade WW150C with the older, wide chord blades... 29 pounds, 170 knots abeam the numbers on the downwind, and I can do a 180 turn to final and make the first turnoff every time. Take off light and solo is equally exciting, I?m getting 4,000 fpm. Their three blade props rock and look great too. I?d be curious to see the performance differences between the 150 and the 300.
 
Steve Melton said:
Vibration survey on IO-390 RV-14
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I knew Jim was shopping for a telemetry rig. Did you happen to notice which brand he was using here?

BTW, it's a big deal gentlemen, sort of a maturity yardstick for a propeller manufacturer. The big boys test, and the rest just guess.
 
TXFlyGuy said:
Whirlwind has been playing a "guessing game" for almost 4 years with us.
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I can't speak factually about the 4-blade for an alternative engine, or about promises and delivery issues.

I am sure a manufacturer who does blade stress telemetry is higher on my list than one who doesn't.
 
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