REFLECTOR: Leading Edge Prop Damage Advice

[Alex Balic]

Hey Doug-

How are you liking your p-tip prop?  I want to get a properly sized prop to
get my engine tuning done, and to get to flight testing,- the 160 hp 3 blade
I have on there now for that purpose goes to full speed at just ¼ throttle
at the moment, so I am sort of stuck until I can get a prop on there to
absorb the HP.  will almost certainly upgrade to MT later on.  I contacted
Catto, but he is so busy, I may not get one until the fall- so prince is
another choice- how are they to work with?

 

Alex

 

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From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Douglas Holub
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 7:56 PM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Leading Edge Prop Damage Advice

 

That looks similar to damage one of my valve cover screws did to the edge of
my Prince fixed pitch P-tip prop (maple core with carbon fiber overlaid.)
The damage was about that size and took a little bite out of the maple, too.
We were traveling at the time in Amarillo, Texas. I emailed pictures of the
damage to Lonnie Prince and he told me how to fix it: clean up the wound
with sand paper, fill in with JB Weld, then sand it smooth in the morning.
Worked great. I'm not sure if the procedure would be the same with a metal
prop.

 

I replaced all the star washers on my valve cover screws with split ring
lock washers.

 

Doug Holub

2009 Velocity Standard FG

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Bob Jackson <mailto:bobj at computer.org>  

To: 'Velocity Aircraft <mailto:reflector at tvbf.org>  Owners and Builders
list' 

Cc: Bob  <mailto:bobj at computer.org> & Ann Jackson 

Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 8:40 PM

Subject: REFLECTOR: Leading Edge Prop Damage Advice

 

We 'vacuumed' up another screw (looked like a Lycoming valve cover fastener,
when we 'swept' the runway afterward is what did the damage) on takeoff
yesterday and this time damaged the leading edge of our MT prop -- we need
your repair advice:

 



 

The damage is about 3/8" in size, with the two most troubling aspects being
the break in continuity of the leading edge, and 

the obvious separation and bending out of the lower part of the leading edge
strip on the one side.  The damage is about 

8" from  the tip of the blade.

 

    

 

I assume if I were to ask MT, they would say 'scrap that blade and build a
new one from scratch'!  

 

We're just curious what anyone might have to say about their experiences
with this type of damage, and whether or not you guys would recommend trying
to fix it ourselves.  We have a new 4 blade MT prop ordered (to improve our
high altitude cruise performance),  but it won't be here for 6 to 8 weeks,
so if we can safely do it, we'd like to repair this damage and continue
flying it until the new prop arrives.

 

What does everyone think?  We don't think we can re-bridge the missing
metal, but are hoping that by injecting some epoxy and filling the gap with
thickened JB Weld there would continue to be adequate rigidity and strength
in the remaining leading edge stainless material to prevent vibration in
flight and the lose of the outer 8" of this blade -- which obviously would
be bad!

 

Thanks,

Bob Jackson

Custom Turbo XL/RG

N2XF


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