MT Propeller

Re: MT Propeller

I'll echo Carl's comments on MT's responsiveness. There was an initial tuning issue with the MT prop after the 390 conversion. MT was all over it and very quickly turned around a solution, in my case a new prop altogether within days.

Jim Richards may be able to comment further, but my experience suggests MT will be fine as a provider.
 
Re: MT Propeller

I talked to Mark @ Memphis Propeller this morning in regard to maintenance, overhauls, etc. He said that composite overhauls are more expensive in their shop by 10-50% (so if a typical Hartzell/McCauley aluminum 3 blade overhaul with no damage is 3500 bucks, the typical composite overhaul of a similar prop will be 4k to 6k). He said they are more delicate, obviously, if you ding it with the tool box or tow cart it is gonna cost. Field repairs are possible for cosmetic dings but hard dings resulting in structure damage will require removal and sending it off. He said standard wear-and-tear overhauls in the field are no big deal, they do them locally, whereas structural repairs due to serious damage will have to go to Florida.

He said the MT props are a wooden core with a fiberglass or carbon fiber exterior. He said the difference in glass vs carbon is not that much of a consideration, longevity is similar.

He said time between overhauls is similar as well. At 100 hours a year part 91, he said 10 year overhaul intervals should be fine.

He said inspections are slightly different, you have to check for de-lamination on your annuals, and be more pro-active about fixing paint/gel coating loss, since water getting in can harm the wooden core.

He said the lower weight results in far less stress on the crankshaft, less motor mount wear, less noise, just generally a better running prop, so over time in his opinion the benefits outweigh the negatives. He also said in a worst case gear-up scenario the delicate nature of the composite/wood structure is a good thing, it won't be as violent a shock for the engine, the blades will just splinter and 'go away'.
 
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Re: MT Propeller

I've been flying behind an MT MTV-9-D/198-58a 3 blade constant speed propeller on my experimental plane for 7 years now...it's a fine prop.

The only down side for me is flying in precip causes rapid and complete paint erosion on the blades. I find the paint on the forward side of the prop, from the nickel leading edge to about 3/4 inch back from the leading edge is pretty much impossible to keep on the prop. For my plane, this happens in about the final 6 inches of each blade, and it wears down to the gray (epoxy?) coating on the blade's fiberglass sheath.

I've been stripping and painting the prop every other year. MT has verified the erosion as cosmetic, but it frankly gets pretty ugly. We stripped and painted it this past annual and the paint is already gone in places 50 hours later. Leading edge tape does not work.

Otherwise, the prop has been working very very well and is extremely smooth. Very little flywheel action with the prop so the battery needs to be in good shape -- no prop momentum to get past compression strokes when starting.
 
Re: MT Propeller

Isaac
That is good to know about the paint erosion. That would be a show stopper for me. If it were a white epoxy under a white paint, it might not be so bad.
 
Re: MT Propeller

Pat said:
Isaac
That is good to know about the paint erosion. That would be a show stopper for me. If it were a white epoxy under a white paint, it might not be so bad.
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The prop is also available in grey, but on the 114 it is less of an issue because you already have a decent useful load. On the 112 a 30lb gain is worth the inconvenience of some extra maintenance - if it is true that that is what is needed.

It never rains where I live, so no problem:-)
 
Re: MT Propeller

carllee said:
The prop is also available in grey, but on the 114 it is less of an issue because you already have a decent useful load. On the 112 a 30lb gain is worth the inconvenience of some extra maintenance - if it is true that that is what is needed.

It never rains where I live, so no problem:-)
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That would add a prop repaint to the Bahamas trip since I have never been able to make the trip without flying through rain somewhere along the way.
 
Re: MT Propeller

I've not had a problem with the paint on my MT, pics below taken today.
Prop has nearly 700 hours on it, has been to Alaska in and out of a number of gravel strips there.
Also seen the Bahamas and other foreign countries like Canada, Texas and Mississippi...
I've flown in all WX, ala rain, snow, sun and frigid NY winters.
Back side pic is lousy but I only see minor speckles on all three blades.
For some reason I having trouble uploading pics of the blades, will try again when I get home.
From my experience, the MY paint wears as well as any metal prop I've had on the 4 airplanes I've owned.
 

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Re: MT Propeller

Trying again...
 

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Re: MT Propeller

Liked the first one... thought you might be trying a knife edged pass through your hangar with the back door closed to show the Red Bull guys you have the right stuff... ;-)
 
Re: MT Propeller

Wow...wish my paint would stay on like yours does. Maybe it has to do with diameter, horsepower, rpm, airspeed, or ? I typically run 2400 rpm, my engine is 350 HP. I do a bit over 200 kits (not a Commander), but I don't know what phase of flight causes the most erosion. It is a common problem among the crowd I hang with (on the net).

Could be its not a factor here, just thought I'd put it on the table.
 
Re: MT Propeller

Bill,
Like those 'step boxes' what are their dimensions? Very nice!
 
Re: MT Propeller

Jamesdub said:
Bill,
Like those 'step boxes' what are their dimensions? Very nice!
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Yeah, they are very helpful, I borrowed the idea from Sven.
I do not clearly remember the dimensions but they I used stock lumber for the sides and top so I'm thinking 2X10's on the sides and a 2X12 for the top. They are about 36 inches long.
 
Re: MT Propeller

Airotto370 said:
I do not clearly remember the dimensions but they I used stock lumber for the sides and top so I'm thinking 2X10's on the sides and a 2X12 for the top. They are about 36 inches long.
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2x lumber?

I'm pretty sure Sven's were 1x lumber on the sides, built in two tiers, with a plywood top. I have one of his in my hangar. Been meaning to duplicate it, but hasn't gotten to the top of the list yet.

I know the plywood is certain, the double tiers are certain (so that they could be stacked without falling over), and pretty sure about the 1x. 2x lumber would be much heavier to move around.
 
Re: MT Propeller

FS said:
2x lumber?

I'm pretty sure Sven's were 1x lumber on the sides, built in two tiers, with a plywood top. I have one of his in my hangar. Been meaning to duplicate it, but hasn't gotten to the top of the list yet.

I know the plywood is certain, the double tiers are certain (so that they could be stacked without falling over), and pretty sure about the 1x. 2x lumber would be much heavier to move around.
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I definitely used 2X on the sides, maybe plywood for the top, can't remember. Sven's were finer than the coarse copies I built. But yes, they are heavy hence the rope pulls I put on the ends.
 
Re: MT Propeller

These are pricey but nice and weigh almost nothing.
 
Re: MT Propeller

The Aluminum folding steps have been a sale item on Black Friday for the last 3 years.
Home Depot and Lowes. $19.95 - 39.95
If you can wait and see.
 
Re: MT Propeller

gmores said:
These are pricey but nice and weigh almost nothing.
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I have a couple of those too, but they are too high for me to use comfortably at engine level.

Plus my big butt and clumsy feet like the bigger platform. La vie!
 
Re: MT Propeller

MT Propeller update:

The EASA STC's have been granted for both the 112/112B's and all model 114's. FAA STC's to follow soon.
 
Re: MT Propeller

Great news! Will you be ready to ship once the FAA STC has been approved?

Thanks,
Ken



carllee said:
MT Propeller update:

The EASA STC's have been granted for both the 112/112B's and all model 114's. FAA STC's to follow soon.
Click to expand...
 
Re: MT Propeller

I've already started shipping! You just can't install until the FAA STC is granted. Already two with props in hand waiting:-)
 
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