Great response Bud. Thanks for the update - we have another Europa Flyer due
out in early December so some detailed flight testing of the 3 blades would
be useful.
Regards
Steve
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bud Yerly" <budyerly@msn.com>
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2015 10:19 PM
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Airmaster Whirlwind blades
> Richard,
> I've been able to test the WhirlWind (WW) blades on my Europa with 914 for
> the last six months. I find them an excellent fit for the AP332 since the
> blades can be swapped out easily.
> That said, a new ferrule had to be made to install the WW blades into the
> 332 hub. No direct cheap swap out I'm afraid.
>
> Performance wise, it is slightly better and lighter than the wide chord
> Warp
> Drive (WD). If you have the narrow chord WD blades they are a whole lot
> better.
>
> We are limited in the Europa to 64 inches diameter and of course to the
> slow
> turning Rotax. With only a cruise RPM of 2050 prop RPM and 2500 Climb RPM
> and a high speed airplane with a wide performance range we don't see a
> large
> change in performance between the blades. No amount of twist can
> compensate
> for slow prop speed on a geared engine. Propellers fly on torque so there
> is just so much you can do.
>
> I've tested the two blade, three blade WD, Sensenich (Sen) and WW blades.
> Performance at nominal cruise up to 7500 feet is not a lot different
> between
> the three (3-8 knots). The two blade Sen is lighter (19 pounds) and
> noisier. The three blade WD is heavy at 26 pounds and the WW is slightly
> lighter and spins faster on start.
>
> Data for the three indicate the WW climbs slightly better (50 fpm) and is
> faster than the WD at 7500-10,000 feet by about 5-6 knots at 5000/31 and
> about equal at the lower altitudes and lower RPMs. The two blade
> Sensenich
> is slightly slower than the WW (2-3 knots) but equal in climb to the WW
> three blade, but it is
> noisier. I do like the two blade as it is easier to remove the cowl on a
> trigear aircraft with it installed.
>
> The wide chord WD is brutally strong, wears like iron and will mow the
> grass
> on most fields without requiring any cleanup. Chips can be cared for with
> epoxy. Typically the WD will go many years before needing blade service.
> Each blade costs about $100 US for a complete refurbishment. Then its
> good
> for another ten years. The finish is flat paint and the nickel tape is
> flat
> also, so it's not a classy looking blade with its square tips. The
> tapered
> blades lower the inertial forces during start and I have said "The tapered
> blades are
> only good for converting fuel into noise as far as I'm concerned", but
> that
> is unfair. They are just slow.
>
> Both the Sensenich and WW have nickel leading edges but have a clear coat
> over it so the clear coat tends to wear off in rain and sand (what we have
> mostly in Florida). It makes the prop look nasty after a year of hard
> flying without
> touchup. Of course both of these blades are hollow core (Sensenich) or
> foam
> (WW) so care must be taken if damage is evident.
>
> I must admit my favorite for looks and performance is the WW. My favorite
> for engine maintenance and CG is the Sensenich, and if I was operating off
> of an unimproved field full of rocks, I'd take the performance hit and fly
> the WD.
>
> Jim Butcher is going to test the WW blades against his WD blades on his
> 914
> mono. Then we will
> compare notes and publish the data formally.
>
> I've attached a document from my website on propeller testing techniques
> on
> the Europa.
> Take a look at the techniques page and down load the pdf.
>
> It always amazes me that folks do not do extensive testing of their
> aircraft. I realize that when built straight, this aircraft is nearly
> bullet proof so why bother.
> That said, it is gratifying to do a 2000 mile cross country in your bird
> and
> only have to put gas in and be able to look at the range you need and
> simply
> adjust the throttle
> to get the desired miles per gallon necessary for the winds to flight
> plan.
> This is possible because you have iron clad data on your
> aircraft/engine/propeller you personally have tested.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Best Regards,
> Bud Yerly
> Custom Flight Creations.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Davids
> Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 4:30 PM
> To: europa-list@matronics.com
> Subject: Re: Europa-List: Airmaster Whirlwind blades
>
>
> Richard I am looking at this at the moment but need some support from the
> community
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On 14 Oct 2015, at 20:12, Richard Holder <richard.holder@outlook.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> <richard.holder@outlook.com>
>>
>> Hi All
>>
>> Has anyone in the UK tried the new Whirlwind blades to fit the Airmaster
>> hub ? Great things are promised.
>>
>> I just don't want to be the first to try them as the paperwork puts me
>> off.
>>
>> If someone has done it already please let me know.
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Richard Holder
>> G-OWWW
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
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