Press Releases

PIQUA, Ohio — July 16, 1996 — Ed Williamson of Birmingham, Alabama installed a new Hartzell three-bladed Scimitar propeller system on his 1965 Comanche in March of this year. He expected a number of improvements. Chief among them were improved acceleration and climb. In the 50 flight hours since then, Ed and his partner, Dr. Joe Dolce, have noticed these expected improvements as well as a few others.

“The aircraft is dramatically smoother with the new Hartzell and a lot less noisy inside the cabin. We operate out of Birmingham International and we think the added climbing capability as well as the lower noise levels are helping in regard to noise pollution issues in the surrounding neighborhoods. We expected the new prop to deliver about the same cruise performance but in fact we think we’re seeing an actual improvement of a few knots which is an unexpected added benefit of the conversion.”

Hartzell’s new prop for the Comanche 260 is designed with a blade twist distribution that maximizes low speed thrust while maintaining or increasing cruise performance. The new prop also features a trailing edge extension (Synchro-Pulse) aligned with the engine induction inlet which is designed to provide a more intense pressure pulse resulting in an increase in manifold pressure. This new propeller system is part of Hartzell’s growing family of proven, constant speed designs that feature a compact aluminum hub and aluminum blades. The prop conversion is fully compatible with popular Comanche mods such as those offered by Lopresti Speed Merchants.

Hartzell’s three-bladed Top Prop™ airfoil design provides numerous flight performance improvements over original equipment two-bladers. These include: superior acceleration, take-off and climb, lower cabin and flyover noise levels, as well as a shorter overall diameter which will reduce tip erosion and extend service life. The system also delivers an improved 2000 hour/5 year TBO and the exclusive Hartzell Plus Three™ warranty which provides a full three years or 1000 hours of coverage. Cost for the complete kit is $7,295 and includes the propeller, polished spinner, and STC paperwork.

Hartzell propeller conversions offer pilots one of the easiest and most economical methods for improving the performance of their aircraft. And now with a wide variety of Beech, Cessna, Mooney and Piper aircraft kits, the Top Prop family represents the largest and most complete propeller conversion offering in the world.

Hartzell Propeller Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of propeller systems, enjoying an 85 percent market share on corporate turboprops and a 60 percent share on turboprop airliners. The 79-year-old company is also well-known for its design leadership, having introduced the industry’s first full-feathering propellers for light twins, the first fully-reversing propellers for corporate turboprops and the industry’s first structural composite blades.