Hartzell Composite vs. Whirlwind Composite

[KatanaPilot]

All good information to have. The more I read, the easier the decision becomes for me. Thank you.

[grubbat]

Another option to consider is to get a McCauley prop hub and get Mr Catto to make you a set of his blades for it. Wished he made blades for the Hartzel hubs.

[scsmith]

Originally Posted by schristo@mac.com

I did a re-blade on the overhauled hub to the new HRT blades that are shaped a bit like the big hartzel.

Do tell......i don't see anything about HRT blades on the web site.

[ronschreck]

Hi Krea,

I don't have the engineering expertise of Steve Smith but I do have real-world experience with both props. I flew my RV-8 with a WW 200RV for about 1500 hours. I was given a Hartzell composite, wide blade prop when Hartzell sponsored our Team AeroDynamix. I paid about $7K for the WW and I was told that the Hartzell cost north of $12K!

I did have a bit of grease slip past the blade seals on the WW but that was solved at the 650 hour inspection with different seals and an improved grease. I called WW to set up the second inspection at 1300 hours and they asked me to wait until 1450 hours as they were considering a 800 hour inspection cycle and wanted to see if the extra time would reveal any problems. Wear on all components was negligible at both inspections. I was VERY pleased with WW customer service and pricing.

I have not put enough time on the Hartzell to need an inspection. I only have about 600 hours on it now.

I found both props to be equally tolerant of rain, and I have flown in a lot of rain; virtually no wear on the propeller blades but the labels to take a beating.

Performance wise, they both have almost identical climb and cruise performance but the wider blade of the Hartzell does give more braking, which I find useful in competition aerobatics.

Hope this helps you determine which to buy. Let us know what you decide.

[FasGlas]

A friend of mine went from a Hartzell to a WW on his Lancair 360. He's had to send it back to WW 4 times for grease leaking out of it. They gave him some accuses but none made sense.

[KatanaPilot]

I'm sure the WW is a good prop and the company will stand behind it. However, there are too many unanswered questions and concerns about the WW for my taste.

I know the Hartzell is a great prop. The reliability and durability are well proven. The fact that it is a certified prop gives me an assurance it has been well tested and the QC during manufacture is well documented.

Hartzell composite it is.

Thanks for the advice and the information.

Now to figure out what cowling to use with the Superior cold air sump...

[WhirlWind Propellers]

I just wanted to post an update on our latest HRT propeller blade style, as well as answer some questions.

This year (2017) WhirlWind has released a new RV constant-speed propeller option, called the HRT74-200 Series. This is a constant-speed, 2-blade, 74-in diameter propeller. The HRT propeller was a direct result of our involvement over the last several years in working on a special propeller development program for the Reno Sport Class Racing. We developed new aero-design / structures, manufacturing and testing methods to meet the challenges of taking propeller design to a new level.

The new HRT propeller has shown performance increases across the entire flight spectrum compared to the already great performing 200RV propeller. The most significant improvements have been in take-off acceleration and initial rate-of-climb, there is also a modest top-speed increase.

The HRT hub system is the same as 200RV (based on the McCauley threadless design).

The HRT blade construction however, is all new. The HRT blade uses prepreg carbon-fiber with high-density foam-core that is compression molded in a 50-ton heat press using our proven patented design and manufacturing process. With this new structure design, the HRT blade can be manufactured with a very thin cross-section, and in most cases will be much thinner than a metal blade. Thin blade cross-section is one of several important criteria for an efficient propeller design, which gives the HRT blade an advantage.

Regarding grease leaks on older propellers, we have found that even with our proven hydraulic control hub system (McCauley based), grease leaks are more of a challenge for lighter composite blades than heavier metal blades. There were only a few occurrences of leaks, but testing of a new seal system seems to have solved the most challenging of these issues.

Below are pictures of the HRT blade design undergoing (strain-gauge) vibration survey testing, as well as cross-section of the HRT blade. *Notice the VERY thin HRT cross-section.

After several year of development, this entire HRT project was intense, and at times challenging, but definitely rewarding. The story of the this HRT project and engineering would make a good book someday.

The HRT constant-speed propeller is sold through our constant-speed propeller division, Whirl Wind Aviation http://www.whirlwindaviation.com




and

[KatanaPilot]

I recognize you are a small company and don't have the resources of Hartzell and some of the others.

That being said, it would have been very helpful to staff your booth with someone with a strong technical background. The gentleman that was there on the day I visited (Wednesday) knew pricing and that was about it. He was unable to provide any detail on blade construction on the various models.

If you could provide more information on the hub, that too would be helpful. "Based on McCauley" does not say much about the metallurgy, machining, QC and testing and how that compares to the certified hub yours are based on.

[ronschreck]

Originally Posted by WhirlWind Propellers

My Hartzell is a 78-inch prop with a blade design very similar to WW.

[KatanaPilot]

No doubt the WW will be a good prop.

I'm personally a little more comfortable with a certified prop for my application. Yes, I know it's an "experimental airplane" and an "experimental engine" (using PMA'd parts and completely inspected by Penn-Yan), but for me the Hartzell is the right choice.