Installing a wood prop...

Tonight I'm going to install a prop on my plane (Pietenpol with a Continental A-75) and go up for a quick flight. I've never done a prop install before, so I want to make sure I get it right.

I figured I'll torque the bolts, run the plane for 10-15 minutes on the ground, check the torque, take it up for a brief test flight, then check the torque again. Any tips or things I should be careful for or watch for? I'm a little nervous as I'll be doing it without anyone looking over my shoulder.

"SteveR" wrote in message
...

Tonight I'm going to install a prop on my plane (Pietenpol with a
Continental A-75) and go up for a quick flight. I've never done a prop
install before, so I want to make sure I get it right.

I figured I'll torque the bolts, run the plane for 10-15 minutes on the
ground, check the torque, take it up for a brief test flight, then check
the torque again. Any tips or things I should be careful for or watch
for? I'm a little nervous as I'll be doing it without anyone looking
over my shoulder.


--
SteveR


If the prop flys off land immediately.

Other than that it sounds like a plan.

In article XE9De.40420$DC2.33578@okepread01,
Gig 601XL Builder wr.giacona@coxDOTnet wrote:

"SteveR" wrote in message
...

Tonight I'm going to install a prop on my plane (Pietenpol with a
Continental A-75) and go up for a quick flight. I've never done a prop
install before, so I want to make sure I get it right.

I figured I'll torque the bolts, run the plane for 10-15 minutes on the
ground, check the torque, take it up for a brief test flight, then check
the torque again. Any tips or things I should be careful for or watch
for? I'm a little nervous as I'll be doing it without anyone looking
over my shoulder.


--
SteveR


If the prop flys off land immediately.

If the prop flys off -- make sure that the rest of the plane stays in
formation with it! *grin*

SteveR wrote:

Tonight I'm going to install a prop on my plane (Pietenpol with a
Continental A-75) and go up for a quick flight. I've never done a prop
install before, so I want to make sure I get it right.

I figured I'll torque the bolts, run the plane for 10-15 minutes on the
ground, check the torque, take it up for a brief test flight, then check
the torque again. Any tips or things I should be careful for or watch
for? I'm a little nervous as I'll be doing it without anyone looking
over my shoulder.

Don't forget the front plate. Make sure the prop bolts aren't
bottoming out on the threads. Don't confuse in-lb with ft-lb(yikes!).
10-15 minutes running on the ground seems unnecessarily long. Just
run up briefly on the ground and recheck torque, then blast off.

David - email: David at AirplaneZone dot com

"David Odum" MyFirstName@AirplaneZone wrote in message
...
Tonight I'm going to install a prop on my plane (Pietenpol with a
Continental A-75) and go up for a quick flight. I've never done a prop
install before, so I want to make sure I get it right.

Don't forget to track the prop to make sure the blades run in the same plane
within the limits established by the prop maker (usually 1/16" - 1/8" or
so).

Rich S.

On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 09:54:02 -0700, "Rich S."
wrote:

Don't forget to track the prop to make sure the blades run in the same plane
within the limits established by the prop maker (usually 1/16" - 1/8" or
so).

Rich S.

Rich, if it isn't, how do you fix that? I've heard this a lot and it
makes sense that you want the prop tracking properly, but how do you
do it?

Corky Scott

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 09:05:52 -0400, Corky Scott
wrote:

Rich, if it isn't, how do you fix that? I've heard this a lot and it
makes sense that you want the prop tracking properly, but how do you
do it?

Nevermind Rich, jls answered the question.

Corky Scott

"Corky Scott" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 09:05:52 -0400, Corky Scott
wrote:

Rich, if it isn't, how do you fix that? I've heard this a lot and it
makes sense that you want the prop tracking properly, but how do you
do it?

Nevermind Rich, jls answered the question.

Corky........

I've been able to adjust the track on my prop about 1/16" by varying the
torque on the bolts slightly (but still within upper & lower limits). It is
now within 1/16" of perfect - close enough for me. If it was 1/8" and
wouldn't straighten out further, I'd send it back to the maker; assuming my
prop flange was dialed in.

Speaking of that, I guess if a prop flange was off a few thousandths, you
could set up the prop on the flange so the errors would tend to cancel out.

Rich S.

"Corky Scott" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 09:05:52 -0400, Corky Scott
wrote:

Rich, if it isn't, how do you fix that? I've heard this a lot and it
makes sense that you want the prop tracking properly, but how do you
do it?

Nevermind Rich, jls answered the question.

Corky Scott


To find the prop's track, I stand a stool or small ladder as close to the
tip as possible, first fore, then aft of the prop's circumference. You
pull the prop through with all wheels tightly chocked and the top plugs
removed. When the prop is tracked properly, both tips will track the same
cat's hair -- in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the aircraft--
from the edge of the stool, or whatever makeshift pointer you may erect for
the purpose, like for example a screwdriver tip or ice pick c-clamped to a
small stepladder. You can also find if the prop blades are same length
too.* Do it in the hangar, not outside in the wind.

Sometimes a crankshaft flange out of limits will throw you when the prop may
be OK. I've seen it and done a lot of head-scratching until we did a runout
on the steel flange. There are prop-struck flanges out there with big
double-digit runouts on them, which of course you find with a good dial
indicator. 36 or so inches out to the tip and that flange slop is
magnified.


*We had an aircraft which had a pre-buy done, and the owner was upset to
hear his aluminum blades were unequal by a quarter inch. We set up a
pointer and showed him they were in fact dead nuts equal. Measuring helps
too, of course.

Pointers or dial indicators are also great for meticulous installation of a
spinner. There's nothing more obnoxious than a spinner wobbling like hell
while the engine idles.

Yesterday at KFQD I saw the world's most beautiful 1946 Globe Swift. That
thing was a joy to behold and when the 6-cylinder IO-360 Continental engine
sprang into motion, the polished aluminum spinner tracked to the naked eye
like it had been put on using a dial indicator. It is said you can buy that
aircraft for something in excess of 100k. See Van Van der Ploeg in
Greenville, SC.

Make sure you back of the bolts before you re-torque them.

HUB COMPRESSION METHOD





Hub Thickness (in.)
Desired Hub Compression
Bolts
Torque

(Bolt Rev.)

3 3/8
0.020
3/8-24
0.49



1/2-20
0.41

4
0.024
3/8-24
0.58



1/2-20
0.48

4 3/4
0.029
3/8-24
0.68



1/2-20
0.57

5 3/8
0.032
3/8-24
0.77



1/2-20
0.65

CAUTION: Final bolt-torque should be within the range shown below,
Table No. 2






TABLE NO. 2



WOOD PROPELLER INSTALLATION

TORQUE WRENCH METHOD


Size of Steel Aircraft Bolts






Specification
dia. (inches)
Recommended Wrench Torque (in-lbs)

AN6
3/8
200 +/- 25





AN7
7/16
250 +/- 25








Jan Carlsson
www.jcpropellerdesign.com

"SteveR" skrev i meddelandet
...

Tonight I'm going to install a prop on my plane (Pietenpol with a
Continental A-75) and go up for a quick flight. I've never done a prop
install before, so I want to make sure I get it right.

I figured I'll torque the bolts, run the plane for 10-15 minutes on the
ground, check the torque, take it up for a brief test flight, then check
the torque again. Any tips or things I should be careful for or watch
for? I'm a little nervous as I'll be doing it without anyone looking
over my shoulder.


--
SteveR