At my rate of building, that timetable might work perfectly for me. So is anyone flying with this combo and what do you think?cytoxin said:then you can forget the catto. i hear he is backed up until we colonize mars,
awesome prop they tell me but the wait is way out there.
Last time I checked (though it's been a little while) was that his lead time for 3-blade props was HUGE but the 2-blades could be had relatively quickly. Hope that's still true.cytoxin said:then you can forget the catto. i hear he is backed up until we colonize mars,
awesome prop they tell me but the wait is way out there.
Hi Chad-cjensen said:I've talked to Craig on the phone SPECIFICALLY about this, and he GARAUNTEES that the three blade will out-perform his two blade in all regimes. I was thinking that a two blade would be better due to reduced drag, but he INSISTS the three blade is superior in every way. The price difference isn't that big...go for the three blade, even though it's a three month wait.
.02
Steve,alpinelakespilot2000 said:Hi Chad-
Out of curiousity, what does "out-perform" mean here. Are we talking 1-2 knots or is it something significant? I know a three-blade prop will generally climb better, all else equal, but I really don't feel the need to climb faster than the 2K per min. that the 2-blade will give me. Am I going to take a significant performance hit in cruise? (I wouldn't think so, since as I understand it, a 2-blade will generally outperform a 3-blade at the top end. I don't doubt Craig, by any means, just can't believe the difference would be very significant).
I really would prefer going 2-blade because it's $600 less and because I want to retain the possibility of handpropping if I'm stuck somewhere with a weak battery or starter. Just curious what he said here so that I don't have to bug him about the same question.
Thanks.
Thanks for adding your experience, Bill.N941WR said:When I ordered my prop, Craig asked if I was building a -9 or a -9A, what cruise speed I wanted, which engine, HP @ RPM, type of ignition, type of fuel delivery, exhaust, and a few other details. Because of my 135 HP O-290 he advised me against a 3-bladed prop as he felt I didn't have the power for it. However, this is not the case with an O-320.
(I really wanted a 3-bladed prop for the extra ground clearance but with my little engine my 2-bladed prop is still only 68" long, so I'm ok with that.)
From what I have learned from a guy who has a RV-9A with the O-290-D2 like mine, I fully expect a 75% cruise of 175 mph out of my 2-bladed Catto prop.
There is a local 7A that started life with a wood prop (not Catto) and he was VERY tail heavy. The guy had to put some heavy weight on the starter ring and replace the wood prop with a FP metal one. He did nothing unusual in his build. Typical 7A and very well done at that.svanarts said:Any concern from RV-7 builders about weight and balance issues with a Catto prop? My RV-4 is a little tail heavy with the light Catto on the front. I hear that the RV-7 tends to be a little tail heavy too in anticipation of the heavier engines and props Van anticipated being used. Misinformation?
N941WR said:There is a local 7A that started life with a wood prop (not Catto) and he was VERY tail heavy. The guy had to put some heavy weight on the starter ring and replace the wood prop with a FP metal one. He did nothing unusual in his build. Typical 7A and very well done at that.
Don't forget with the A's, the mains and steps are all behind the CG adding to the problem. Move everything forward you can.