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Gentlemen:
As a follow up to the previous posting on the installation of the Scimitar Hartzell vs. the old style 3 blade hartzell.
1) You have to replace the spinner with one which is longer to handle the larger hub. This new spinner is only available in polished aluminium. You also have to replace the prop governer since this is a full feathering prop. Total cost is about $14,000 installed. I am attaching a JPEG of the side view and you can see that the spinner is about 4 in longer. The prop is 3 in larger and weighs 20 pounds more which helps the CG in high altitude flight so the nose is not so high. This could account for some of the speed advantage by virtue of less drag (?).
2) I agree with George Braly the speed difference seems extreme. However I would also add that as several of you know I have been fighting which I preceive as this being a "slow" IVP. Ever since I re-installed the engine following overhaul, I have not been happy with the speeds. It was assumed that this was due to a high empty weight (2404 pounds) but maybe the prop was not adjusted correctly when it was re-installed??? All I can say is that the current prop out performs the old one and the KIAS numbers cited are correct. When I return from vacation I will gather more in depth data and report accordingly.
3) Re: TAS I do have preliminary numbers which support even better gains but did not report them as the test flight was not flown by me so I want to verify first hand before reporting.
At this point what I can say for sure is that the prop feels stronger and the climb performance points to much greater efficiency. More data to follow by end of January.
PS Comparison against King Air B200
I am writing this from Bora Bora where I am on vacation. We chartered a 1996 King Air B200 for the flight from PPT to Bora Bora and I rode in the right seat. I was amused by the performance compared to a Lancair and thought you would enjoy the comparison:
KING AIR B 200 DATA
CLIMB: 2000 FPM @ 150 KIAS
SPEED: 250 KTAS @ FL180
FUEL BURN: 100 GPH
COST: $2.4 Million
Since there were only 3 on board I REALLY wished I had a Lancair !!!
Regards,
Dave Riggs
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