Whirlwind Aviation

[Michael Henning]

I flew out to Ohio (7D9) to have my prop (WW150C) serviced. I arrived Sunday late afternoon, called Bill to let him know I was there. A few minutes later, Bill arrived and helped me put my plane in the hangar. I was given the keys to the courtesy car, and off I went.
The next morning I met Bill and Chaz at the hangar, we pulled the prop off and went to the factory for the "tear down inspection ". Chaz is referred to as the "prop whisperer", as he seems to have the right touch in assembling props. I got to watch and ask questions along the way. Not much to a constant speed prop, and I feel comfortable knowing how it works on the inside. I had an issue that I discussed with Bill, and he swapped out the main spring with a stronger one(which fixed the problem of sometimes not going to fine pitch).
The inspection found the prop to be in perfect condition, and Chaz reassembled everything, shimming each blade perfectly, and double checking pitch angles. When all was done, back to the airport, put prop on and I was wheels up 6 hours from when prop was removed. The whole experience was wonderful, and I was impressed with the the knowledge and professionalism of Bill and Chaz. Thank you.

[Steve Melton]

good report. I plan to do the same when it's time.

[goatflieg]

Looking forward to ordering my 200RV prop from them. Won't be (too) long now...

[Ironflight]

Our -151 started spitting grease out of one blade on the way to Oshkosh this year. Sort of landed like Lindbergh at the last fuel stop in Minnesota. Fortunately, I knew that Whirlwind would be there, and I met up with Chaz on day 1. He took the time to walk over to Tsam and check the blades. My first concern was if it was safe to fly home, and he assured me that nothing bad could happen - it just needed a thicker shim. He didn't have any with him of course, but once we got home, Chaz had already checked the build sheet for our prop and determined the likely shim thicknesses we'd need. He sent them out at no charge, I replaced the one, and its clean. Great service - at the show, and afterwards!

Paul

[Michael Henning]

Steve- very narrow runway... thanks to the hours in the Pitts, when I flared and couldn't see the runway anymore, I was thinking "fly the plane". Definitely worth watching the disassembly and reassembly of the prop. Understanding the mechanics helps in diagnosing any issues.
Paul- I tip my hat to you with what you did in the space program. The props are so basic. I was slinging some grease From my number two blade. Shim was too loose. Chaz squared me away on that. He doesn't know metallurgy (that is Bill's' forte) but he does know how to assemble a prop.