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RV-6A prop pitch

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rogerbarlee

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I have just purchased a RV 6a 160 hp with a metal prop 72 x 78, but its cruise speed seems to be down by around 15-20 kts.

So I know what I should expect I would be interested in how other metal 2 blade props are performing at 2400 rpm @ 2500 feet.

And/or what pitch is your 2 blade metal prop....thanx
 
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rogerbarlee said:
I have just purchased a RV 6a 160 hp with a metal prop 72 x 78, but its cruise speed seems to be down by around 15-20 kts.

So I know what I should expect I would be interested in how other metal 2 blade props are performing at 2400 rpm @ 2500 feet.

And/or what pitch is your 2 blade metal prop....thanx
Click to expand...

If your prop is a 70CM Sensenich, 78" is a climb prop. But a 72" diameter leads me to believe you don't have the 70CM (70" diameter) Sensenich recommended by Vans.

Use Vans's numbers to select a prop that fits your mission:

http://www.vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/store.cgi?ident=1350910691-114-354&browse=props&product=sen-prop

My RV-6 (160hp) with a 70CM-80 sees ~150kts TAS @2400rpm and 2500' DA. A RV-6A should see similar numbers if everything else is equal but the numbers can be skewed by different wheel pants, fairings, rigging, etc. The 70CM on the 160hp is limited to 2600rpm so base your numbers on most of the throttle in at that rpm.
 
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I can get around 146kt indicated at 2400 rpm at 2300' with a 160hp RV-6A turning a 70"x80" Sensenich prop. I can also over-rev this prop at low level (don't know by how much, I'm not brave enough to find out, 2630 is my limit and then only very briefly if I'm not paying attention).

Pete
 
all of the RV-6A race data from the SARL database

If interested in any race speed data on aircraft types you can go to www.sportairrace.org, click on Records and Stats, click on the Aircraft Type option and all of the race flights of all aircraft types sorted by Aircraft Type then speed will be down loaded to your computer in Excel speadsheet format that you can process any way you like. Currently tha data cover every completed SARL race flight from the first race in 2007 through the two races on October 13 2012. That is 1514 race flights. I went there and extracted just RV-6A entries. Unfortunately I do not maintain propeller data because it is not included in the published race results data. Our prop was originally a Hartzell constant speed (metal) propeller with 72" pitch and F7666 blades but all flights after November 19, 2010 are with a 72" diameter Hartzell blended airfoil propeller wit F7496 (not F7497) blades. Charlie Heathco has a Sensenich fixed pitch metal propeller but I do not know the diameter or pitch. Perhaps some of the pilots will report what prop they were using.

The extracted data are copied below.

Bob Axom

Race Record (RR) # Race Date Class Aircraft Type Pilot Speed Kts Speed MPH
1358 AirVenture Cup 2012 7/22/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 195.26 224.70
217 AirVenture Cup 2008 7/27/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 194.56 223.89
782 Rocket 100, 2010 11/20/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 192.80 221.87
1458 Lone Star Air Rally, 2012 10/6/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 189.28 217.68
133 Texoma 100, 2008 4/20/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 188.36 216.80
1291 GNAR III, Ephrata, WA 6/16/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 187.74 216.05
1415 MERFI 150, Urbana, Ohio 8/25/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 187.68 215.98
753 Tennessee Valley Air Race 2010 10/30/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 187.52 215.83
1380 Indy Air Race 2012 8/11/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.39 213.35
1484 Cleveland Air Race, 2012 10/13/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.33 213.27
233 AirCap 200 8/24/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.16 213.08
1449 Tullahoma 150, Tennessee 9/29/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 185.02 212.91
1213 Hill Country 150, 2012 4/21/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 184.97 212.86
1234 BCAF Time Trial 4/28/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 184.38 212.18
1318 BSAR II, Three Forks, MT 7/7/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 183.99 211.74
1400 Pappy Boyington Memorial Cup 8/18/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 183.86 211.59
298 Rocket 100 2008 11/23/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 183.83 211.55
809 Taylor 150, 2011 4/2/11 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 183.41 211.07
1271 Big Muddy, Carbondale, IL 6/9/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 183.34 210.98
313 Taylor 100 2009 3/16/09 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 182.35 209.85
1201 Taylor 150, 2012 4/14/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 181.47 208.84
152 BCAF 150, 2008 5/4/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 181.45 208.81
720 Grace Flight 2010 10/2/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 181.23 208.54
1176 Texoma 100, 2012 3/31/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 180.87 208.14
276 Memphis 100 2008 10/19/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 180.26 207.44
66 AirVenture Cup 2007 7/23/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 179.99 207.13
641 AirVenture Cup 2010 7/26/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 179.83 206.94
1249 Memorial 150, Terrell, TX 5/26/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 178.44 206.28
363 Tennessee Valley Air Race 2009 6/14/09 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 178.98 205.97
67 AirVenture Cup 2007 7/23/07 RV Red RV-6A Klusmier, Larry 178.90 205.87
179 Colorado 150, 2008 6/29/08 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 178.63 205.56
539 West Texas 100 6/6/10 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 178.04 204.89
1441 Pagosa Springs 150, Colorado 9/22/12 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob 177.22 203.94
102 Memphis 100, 2007 10/28/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 176.86 203.52
119 Rocket 100, 2007 11/18/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 176.33 202.92
1320 BSAR II, Three Forks, MT 7/7/12 RV Blue RV-6A Klewin, Kurt 172.79 198.84
25 Wichita 300 7/17/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 169.91 195.53
667 Great Canadian Air Rally 2010 8/22/10 RV Blue RV-6A Kukura, Dave 169.62 195.20
17 Taylor 100 2007 5/20/07 RV Blue RV-6A Axsom, Bob & Jeanine 168.72 194.16
1511 Thunderbird Air Race, 2012 10/13/12 RV Red RV-6A Ahrens, David 167.42 192.66
977 Big Sky Air Race 7/9/11 RV Blue RV-6A Klewin, Kurt 165.48 190.44
1183 Texoma 100, 2012 3/31/12 RV Blue RV-6A Gehle, Dave 165.08 189.97
324 West Texas 100 2009 4/12/09 RV Blue RV-6A Nymeyer, Rance 164.12 188.86
1156 Rocket 100, 2011 11/19/11 RV Blue RV-6A Moore, Mike 163.43 188.08
470 TVA II 2009 10/18/09 RV Red RV-6A Phillips, Mark 162.66 187.19
144 Texoma 100, 2008 4/20/08 RV Red RV-6A Heathco, Charlie 161.75 186.17
105 Memphis 100, 2007 10/28/07 RV Blue RV-6A Lee, Ron 158.66 182.59
882 Lone Star Air Rally 5/14/11 RV Red RV-6A Bivens, Darrell 154.86 178.21
564 Great NW Air Race 6/13/10 RV Red RV-6A Hungelmann, Bill 152.37 175.35
883 Lone Star Air Rally 5/14/11 RV Red RV-6A McGinnis, Patrick 144.92 166.77


Bob Axsom
 
This thread made me curious so I checked my prop specs yesterday. I have a FP on and 0360 so I'm sure there are differences. Mi Sensenich is 72X85. I cruise at 2350-2400 rpm and burn about 7.4 gph at 150-155 knots over the ground.
 
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