Piqua, Ohio – January 18, 2011. Hartzell Propeller Inc. has developed a new 2-bladed Top Prop™ propeller conversion kit for Piper PA-23-250 Aztec twin-engine aircraft. The cost-efficient conversion provides Aztec owners with improved reliability, performance and noise levels.
The new 77-inch diameter propeller uses blade-mounted counter-weights to provide redundant assistance to the propeller pitch control and feathering system versus the original configuration that relies heavily on an air pressure charge for these functions.
Hartzell’s unique swept-tip Scimitar “blended airfoil” blade design used in this conversion provides an increase in cruise speed of two to three knots as well as a noise reduction of almost 2 dB(a).
The new propellers are available for Piper Aztec PA-23-250 C to F models, serial numbers 27-2505 through to 27-8154030, installed with Lycoming IO-540-C4B5 or TIO-540-C1A engines. They replace Hartzell’s 2-blade aluminum non-counter-weighted propeller models normally installed on these aircraft.
Hartzell’s Top Prop program manager, Mike Trudeau said, “Hartzell’s new Top Prop conversion for Piper Aztec aircraft will provide owners with one of the most cost-efficient ways of improving aircraft value through improved reliability, performance and noise levels.
The kit can be ordered with either a 14 or 28 volt de-ice system and includes composite spinners. Total installed weight is 62 pounds per side. Installation time is just a few hours and the conversion does not require any change to the propeller governors.
Available directly from Hartzell or through Hartzell’s Top Prop dealers, the basic kit is offered at an introductory retail price of $21,950, with a three-year / 1,000-hour warranty and six-year / 2,400-hour TBO. To date, more than 17,000 Top Prop conversions have been delivered to aircraft owners and operators around the world.
Hartzell Propeller is widely recognized as the leader in advanced propeller design and manufacturing technology. The company has developed the next generation of propellers based upon innovative “blended airfoil” technology and is manufacturing these blades on revolutionary machining centers to provide mission-optimized performance for its customers. It traces its beginnings in 1917 to a business relationship with Orville Wright and was founded on the principle of “Built on Honor” – a tradition that continues today.
