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1. 06:00 PM - PIREP - CATTO Composite Prop (Galin Hernandez)
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| Subject: | PIREP - CATTO Composite Prop |
After my nose gear failure and prop strike I decided to replace my
Sensenich Aluminum propeller with a CATTO Composite propeller. I have now
done the 5hrs of flight testing and these are my impressions.
1 - The CATTO is beautifully built and machined piece of art. I had mine
painted white with the nickel leading edges, Copper colored tips (matches
the tail number) and Carbon Fiber Spinner. I love how it looks as can be
seen in the attached photo.
2 - The CATTO came in 19.8lbs lighter than the Sensenich propeller. This
shifted the CG 5/8" aft, still well within the CG limits of the airplane no
matter how I load it. This change in CG made all the difference in the
world on landings. I no longer run out of elevator authority on approach
and can now softly ease the nose gear on the runway. No more dropping
nose. I actually made 3 "squeaker" landings in a row. The good thing is
that it did not change any other flight characteristic I tested,
specifically the stalls under different loading configurations.
3 - Right now it looks like it might be pitched a little too much since I
only got 2,625RPMs at 7,000DA and full throttle. However I did pick up 5kts
in cruise and I don't have the nose wheel boot on which will add several
more knots in cruise speed. The climb isn't much different that the
Sensenich.
4 - I also got an additional 8" clearance between the propeller and the
ground which is excellent for "rough" field operation.
5 - The propeller isn't as smooth as I thought it would be but I think I
have it incorrectly indexed and part of it might be the recently overhauled
engine. Once I have about 50hrs on the engine I will get it dynamically
balanced and this should make a big difference.
As I fly and test, I will post the results.
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