What prop to use

[stertwiel]

I am asking on behalf of my friend, who has a kitfox 4, and installing a 100hp ratex in it, what propellar to use.There is various opinions, but a ground adjustable to start with seems a good idea.So many recon comp not the way to go,(they break up) any good advise would be appreciated.The idea is not to shoot down each other products.The power to weight ratio on this engin/ body will make it a rocket. Ivo? ,pdenekker, warp, so many on the market,...so over to you!, im listening!

[JvTonder]

I have the BushBaby with 912 extra, 95hp and used a warpdrive, had good performance and very quiet until it broke. Bought a P-Prop, all I could afford, but must admit now I won't use anything else. Just need to get the correct pitch, have your friend call oom Piet he is very help full.

[Boet]

P-Prop. I would say 72x50 RHT with "aquilla airfoil"..........praat met Oom Piet : 011 7935235

[Dobbs]

Have a BushBaby 912 S which originally had a Warp Drive which was damaged, not fault of propellor, replaced with a Kiev and 500 hours later, I remain very happy with it.

[stertwiel]

Thanks for feedback so far, see the savanna fly's with Kiev, looks like a nice prop, will phone John Waterson about it.Anybody had bad experiences with Ivo??

[Goose]

Thanks for feedback so far, see the savanna fly's with Kiev, looks like a nice prop, will phone John Waterson about it.Anybody had bad experiences with Ivo??

I have a IVO on my kitfox 7 and must say I'm tempted to fit a P-prop, the IVO flex a lot in flight and it gives vibration.

[Mogas]

I have a IVO on my kitfox 7 and must say I'm tempted to fit a P-prop, the IVO flex a lot in flight and it gives vibration.

Now there is some wizdom!

[Kingfisher]

Goose, you can send your Ivo prop to Oom Pieter de Nekker to balance it for you, or you can do it yourself, there is a post somewhere on the forum about that. Take the prop off & assemble it. Make a spacer to fit exactly through the centre hole with a small hole running through the centre of the spacer where a piece of string goes through. Hang it somewhere (indoors) & see which blade/s are light/heavy. Spray some clear lacquer evenly on the light blade/s until it hangs 100% level.
The Ivo does flex but that should not cause vibration, they are normally quite smooth.

[Mogas]

In my experience the problem with the Ivo is not uneven blade weights, if that were the only issue it is as easy to sort out as any prop.
The problem comes with unequal blade angles, probably caused by the torque rods in each blade not having exactly the same temper. The uneven blade angles cause the vibration, some props a lot worse than others.

[Kingfisher]

Valid point, I'm still a De Nekker fan though.
Good prop's, good backup, locally made as well as good conversation.
Also interresting is the fact that the prop threads pops up every few months, and every time we learn something new.

[stertwiel]

Thanx for all the feedback so far, its been of great help, keep it coming.Stupid vraag, how smooth is the p prop vs a 3blade comp, the 3 bladeder will be smoother, but how smooth is the 2 blade wood?

[JvTonder]

Thanx for all the feedback so far, its been of great help, keep it coming.Stupid vraag, how smooth is the p prop vs a 3blade comp, the 3 bladeder will be smoother, but how smooth is the 2 blade wood?

3 blade smoother but P prop if correctly balanced very smooth as well.

[Kingfisher]

Oom Piet & his wife Bets does a good job. The wood gets weighed & balanced while making the blank the prop is made from. It then gets cut out with a CNC cutter to the specifcation and sanded smooth. It comes with carbon cloth coating on the back & leading edge protection "molded" into the leading edge, not added on later. Then it gets a 2K clear coating (or colour of your choice) and final balance is checked. When the prop is installed on your plane the blade tracking is set with bolt torque to ensure it runs true.
You end up with good looking effective prop which can be serviced and repaired with years of trouble free service if you don't break it. If you fit the correct diameter & pitch prop for your combination of plane/engine/reduction ratio, you'll love it & fly it, ask Oupa G & Boet.
All said, this would be my choice, not down talking other products.
As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating..........

[Boet]

P-Prop seems to win the day??