SonexBuilders.net

Has anyone considered or installed the Airmaster constant speed propeller? Which is available for the Jabiru 3300, Rotax and UL Power and others. I'm a long way from final engine and propeller decision (my kit has the motor mount for the Jabiru 3300) but for my flying mission, to continue to be able to formation fly with my formation buddies, a constant speed propeller would be ideal. see http://www.propellor.com

I use the prince p tip on my jabiru 3300 powered sonex. No real numbers for you just seat of the pants feel. The sensenich seemed to climb slightly faster. The prince might-(might) be 2 mph faster. What I do like better about the prince is it loads my jabiru up better and more consistent than the sensenich. What does that do for me? well it allows me to have better control of my engine temps. I was constantly trying to keep my EGT down on climb out and the prince helps a lot in that regard. Not sure if it is truly the prop itself or the prince may just be a hair more course in pitch and causes the jab to load up more. All I know is it takes slightly longer to get off the ground but I like my temps better. As for the constant speed mentioned, I have never seen this prop but am interested in it. Would think it is quite expensive though

Check that the polar moment of inertia of the Airmaster does not exceed the Jabiru limits.

You loose a lot of speed when the crank breaks and the prop is slung off to the horizon.

Rick Caldwell
Xenos 0057

Scott Todd wrote:The Prince comes up fairly often. What makes it better? Can anyone post the head-to-head numbers from the same airplane for the same loading and conditions? Has Sonex tested it? What is their input? I don't think Sonex cares what brand people use but they probably want the best performance for their airplanes. These things usually puzzle me. If its better, why isn't everyone running them? Has the word just not got out yet?

Saying one brand headset is better than another is just personal preference. Propellers can be quantified. What are the numbers?

I did testing with both props over a single weekend. I tried to display all my test numbers, but the forum format does not hold formatting, so there are no columns or spacing to make the numbers display properly. If anyone wants a Word doc of my tests, just PM me. All my numbers were in knots, for a normally aspirated AeroVee engine using 100LL.

In the tests, and in the 5 years or so since I changed to the Prince prop, the averages come out to a minimum 100 fpm increase in climb, and a cruise speed (at equivalent RPMs) of 5-10 kts, depending on weather conditions, over the fixed pitch Sensenich. I didn't do any side by side testing in the winter, but in cold weather I get 1,000 fpm climb (sometimes more) with the Prince.

I have a hill and tall trees at my airport, so climb is most important to me. 100 fpm makes a difference. With the adjustable pitch Sensenich my climb was so anemic that on more than one occasion I thought for sure I was going into the trees. At best pitch for climb, I barely got 200 fpm in the summer, and sometimes saw a nearly 0 fpm climb after I got out of ground effect. I had enough of that and switched ASAP.

Grabbing this subject thread - has anyone tried a Catto prop with a Jabiru 3300? I know Ben in Australia installed one a few years back - any others?

If so, how do you like it?

Just placed my deposit on the 3300 - deliver in Mar 2023.

Bill

Sounds like this is a no.

I'm building a Waiex taildragger with a Jabiru 3300.

I just talked to Lonnie at Prince Propeller. He is recommending the standard 54" dia. 60" pitch P-Tip. He told me that he has sold about 3 of these at a 62" pitch to Sonex builders with the Jabiru 3300.

Can one of you three comment on the performance?

Thanks in advance,

Bill
N67WX

WilliamBatten wrote:I'm building a Waiex taildragger with a Jabiru 3300.

I just talked to Lonnie at Prince Propeller. He is recommending the standard 54" dia. 60" pitch P-Tip. He told me that he has sold about 3 of these at a 62" pitch to Sonex builders with the Jabiru 3300.

Can one of you three comment on the performance?

Thanks in advance,

Bill
N67WX

Hi Bill, if you want to go with only one propeller, I would first suggest that you attempt to decide what will be your most common mission with your Waiex and the pick the propeller that best suits that mission. I began flying my Sonex with the Sensenich W54SK62 wood propeller which is great for "kick in the pants takeoffs" and climbouts. I then began searching for a propeller more suitable for longer cross country flying. I tried the composite coated Sensenich with more pitch, I believe 64". I then tried a Prince 54x60 P-Tip with a special airfoil, a Prince 54x60 P-Tip with the standard airfoil, a Prince 54x62 P-Tip with the standard airfoil, and a Prince 54 x 66 elliptical propeller.

I ended up keeping the elliptical propeller as it gave me a solid 5 mph more cruise speed at the same rpm as my original Sensenich propeller. The other Prince propellers I tested did not significantly outperform the original Sensenich propeller I already had to make them cost effective. As far as climb rate goes, when you're already climbing at over 1,200 fpm at gross weight at sea level, a difference of plus or minus 100 or 200 fpm really doesn't make much difference between propellers.

Since I'm not making any long distance flights these days, I'm currently flying behind the original Sensenich wood propeller which is really under pitched for the airframe. It will turn 150 rpm over red line in straight and level flight. But it is turbine smooth, and it's so much fun. I have taken off behind a Bonanza and stayed right with it indicating 130 mph in the climb. I once took off behind a Mooney 201 and passed it up in the climb........I was also higher than it as I went by. Not bad for an aircraft that meets the light sport requirements. Of course, once leveling off in cruise, both those aircraft can't be caught.

Lonnie Prince will send you any number of his propellers for testing if you just pay for shipping each one. Of course, you will have to begin by buying one of his propellers to start the process. At least that used to be his policy about 8 years ago. Good luck with your search. If you have any more specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

Art,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sonex taildragger #95,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Jabiru 3300 #261

N190YX wrote:Has anyone considered or installed the Airmaster constant speed propeller? Which is available for the Jabiru 3300, Rotax and UL Power and others. I'm a long way from final engine and propeller decision (my kit has the motor mount for the Jabiru 3300) but for my flying mission, to continue to be able to formation fly with my formation buddies, a constant speed propeller would be ideal. see http://www.propellor.com

I have an Airmaster CS/Whirlwind 3 blade, fitted to my Rotax 912ULS - came with the part built Sonex I purchased.
Aircraft now ready to fly, however east coast of Australia almost under water, so even taxi runs (on grass strip) out of the question for at least next two weeks.
I hope the prop performs half as good as it looks.
I doubt I would have purchased a CS for my Sonex (if it hadn't come with one) . My experience to date pretty well demonstrates that the very significant extra cost/weight/complexity, compared with a good quality ground adjustable, is almost impossible to justify in terms of performance improvement.

E-Props have been heavily marketed, here in Australia. Made by a French company, they certainly sound wonderful (too good to be true?). They even have a CS which weighs little more than many other brands ground adjust - may be worth checking out.

We have also prepared for shipment to Spain a 3-blade propeller with particularly strong saber-shaped blades with a diameter of 63.7". Let's see how he will show himself on Jabiru-3300.
Its 2-blade version performed very well on the Jabiru-2200.
It's time to test the work of a more powerful version.
I hope we will be able to compare him with the best candidates.