BeechTalk - BT

Username Protected · **Posted:** 19 Mar 2014, 21:41

Username Protected wrote:

Wait for the 5 blades carbon fiber prop from Hartzell, im sure its coming.

Along with an associated AD or two.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 26 Mar 2014, 23:29

I spent some time speaking with a pilot at PlaneSense, an operator of a decent number (30?) of PC12's. Turns out he also had an office job, so had more familiarity with the finances than the average pilot. I was sitting in an FBO waiting for a friend to land, he was sitting there waiting for passengers, pretty casual convo. The PC12 he was flying had the 5 blade, I asked him about it, this is what he told me (to the best of my memory, it was 6 or 9 months ago).

Basically, he wasn't going to recommend they convert the fleet bc he didn't think it was worth the cost. His perspective was that the 5 blade MT was for owner-flown aircraft that don't fly many hrs per year, fly mostly in nice weather, and the owner likes the sexy/exotic aspect of the additional blade. The performance gain was minimal or zero. The prop noise was "different, but not reduced - it depends on where in the aircraft you sit" (I cannot remember if he said pax liked it more and it was worse in the cockpit, or vice-versa, but worth looking into... either way, he said to him it was largely a pitch change not a volume change). He mentioned that when you fly in heavy ice, the 5-blade gets out of balance whereas the 4-blade cycled the opposing blades and stayed balanced (this was the source of his "it's for the owner-flown market, the guys who don't fly if the weather's bad").

I have a 3 blade MT on a DA40 and if I could do it again I'd go with a Hartzell metal 2-blade because mine gets damaged too easily and it's expensive to fix. Hopefully the materials are totally different for something like the PC12, so hopefully not an issue. All the same, in the US with no noise issues, and a single engine plane with no "marginal engine out performance" (additional blades won't help a PC12's engine out perf), the icing issue, and the expense, I don't see a reason to get one except for the aesthetic. I can make an argument for anything based on the aesthetic, so I suggest the 7 blade.

Username Protected · **Posted:** 27 Mar 2014, 08:19

Username Protected wrote:

$58k? Geez

I thought buying one straight up was $50k?

I was thinking seriously about it but I'm not finding anyone who can tell me actual performance gains. The only consistent positive report is the quieter operation than the 4 blade. I'm going to overhaul the 4 blade and keep flying.