I dropped off my propeller for an overhaul. What they found was "interesting" (apparently a good paint job can hide old Dremel tool repairs...). Plus a pitch that varied anywhere from 48" to 54" and one blade being too thin means I now have a new mantelpiece.
I need a propeller! Anybody have any ideas? New? Used? Where to get one and how long will it take?
According to the Type Certificate, my choices are as follows: Sensenich 69CK McCauley 1A100/MCM McCauley 1A101/DCM
I know you will, you are the type, but this bears repeating..... Take your time, make a list of all the prop shops you can find, nationwide, and spend a couple of mornings calling. Be open to any option. Remember, if you change from McC to Sen, that you also need new bolts, and that is $175 plus shipping from Sensenich. You really should consider replacing the old bolts in any case.
My first thought is to go with a brand-new Sensenich 69CK-50 for $2900 with new spinner and bolts.
Interestingly, Wag-Aero seems to offer the same package for $2100, though I suspect it's just the prop minus spinner and hardware.
My worry with 'used' is having to repitch the prop if it's not already 50", and possibly an overhaul for $500.
My biggest problem right now is resigning myself to the fact that next weekend's annual will need to be rescheduled and the plane could very well be down for 8-12 weeks (according to Sensenich's delivery forecast). That puts me perilously close to my wedding date. All in all, I may be down until next year <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />
When you call around include Midwest Propeller at the Kenosha airport in Wisconsin. They were great to deal with, honest, and run a great shop with a good reputation.
And I have been there - best of luck for you!
(I owe you a VOR indicator too - it's sitting here packed to go, and posting this will make me get off my duff and ship it insured!!)
UPS just delivered a brand-new Sensenich 69CK-0-50L!! Just in time for my annual this weekend. Woohoo, I'll be back in the air!
I checked around on the internet and found out that Tiffin Aire [tiffinaire.com] in Tiffin, Ohio had new ones in stock.
Better still, since they're an overhaul shop they could repaint the propeller in white with red tips (if I'm gonna spend all this money, I wanna see a difference). I asked them to paint the spinner red, too. Mike at Tiffin Aire started to balk, saying that he won't be able to match my plane's color, all reds aren't the same, etc. I told him my plane was no prize-winner, that any red was red enough, and if he didn't paint it, I would - with a spray-can. With a chuckle he said don't do that, he'll do it professionally.
All told, the new Sensenich prop, new bolts, new spinner, custom paint, and shipping (Ground-COD) came to $2830. That is cheaper than direct from Sensenich, only a little more than Aircraft Spruce. And both of those would've been stock gray paint and certainly not 2-days delivery time.
Good job on the acquisition, Kirk. That will look great on your plane. I'm hoping you'll have some performance increases, too.
Pretty...
Thanks - I'm hoping to feel a difference in performance, too. Sensenich studied the airflow around the cowling of a Cessna 150 and came up with a more efficient pitch design. Technically it's still a 50" pitch, but the prop is stamped "50L", the "L" denoting the new design.
According to Sensenich: Test data shows that, with a "50" pitch (52 pitch is standard on CESSNA 150 airplanes) and the revised blade-angle distribution, time to lift-off may be reduced by about 15%; rate-of-climb may be increased by a factor of about 9%; and the airplane upon which the prototype propeller was tested showed an 85 knot cruise at 10 rpm less than was required with the standard propeller.
I wish I had done more tests with my old McCauley prop. I suspect any benefits may be as much wishful thinking as real. I'll report back what I find.
Very pretty! Make sure you post some pics of it installed on your plane!
After my friend had his prop strike a year and a half ago, we loaded his bent prop into my old 172 and flew it to Tiffin. Some of the bent props they had in there were seriously wacked, they said they can fix most of them though!
