Craig Catto. Catto Propellers

[Texas Flyer]

Wonderful story of passion, persistence, hard work, talent, dreams, and success.
If you haven't watched the video on EAA's website by Craig Catto, I highly recommend it. Great story.
I found it under "Timeless Voices-Craig Catto" while looking up some Ultra-Light info.

Go to:
http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=4004712911001

If you are thinking of buying one of his propellers, or if you already have, you should watch the video.

Thanks

 

[smokyray]

There I was...

Wonderful story of passion, persistence, hard work, talent, dreams, and success.
If you haven't watched the video on EAA's website by Craig Catto, I highly recommend it. Great story.
I found it under "Timeless Voices-Craig Catto" while looking up some Ultra-Light info.

Go to:
http://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=4004712911001

If you are thinking of buying one of his propellers, or if you already have, you should watch the video.

Thanks

Tex,
I met Craig back in the 90's when he was still in the Reno Racing prop "underground" and a urban legend in the EZ community. He invited me to fly up to his Cabin above Jackson, CA in the Sierra foothills to visit. I landed my RV4 on a short, one way Mountain airstrip nearby with a wrecked Stinson ominously parked on the approach end. Craig picked me up and we drove up to his Cabin/Prop factory to chat. His Shop was a small building alongside his Cabin with gorgeous props in various stages of completion literally hanging from every tree limb or chair arm! Craig explained his humble beginnings and how over time the EZ community had become his primary customer. In fact, one of his 3blade props had already survived an inflight exhaust stack departure (a fatal occurrence in a pusher with a wood prop) and flown home with minor damage. A photo adorned his wall with a small nick in the hub where the exhaust stack had impacted at 14,500' over the Rockies. The Pilot, unaware of any serious damage continued home to SoCal only noticing the nick after a post flight showed an exhaust stack missing! Craig gave him basic repair instructions over the phone and he continues to fly it to this day.

We discussed the RV world which was just getting off the ground from it's "underground" beginnings. Craig was testing one of his three blades flying on an early RV6. He kindly offered to build me a prop for my RV4 to test his first 2 blade RV design on an actual RV airframe. The rest as they say, is history. I sold my Sterba wood prop after one flight with my new Catto 2 blade...RV drivers would see it on my RV4 and say "who made that?"

Twenty years later one of his gorgeous Gen 3 Two Blade props graces the nose of my RVX!

Thanks for sharing...
V/R
Smokey
www.iamanet.org

 

[Texas Flyer]

Master Story Teller

Smoky,
You are a Master Story Teller.
Thanks for adding to Craig Catto's story. Made it even more interesting.

Can't wait to hear you speak at the Fort Worth Vintage Flying Museum for the Texas Antique Airplane Association at 12:00 pm, February 21, 2015.

See you there.