daytonabch04 Posted May 26, 2022 Report Share Posted May 26, 2022 Hartzell finally went through with the Bravo Top Prop STC which is the same prop on the Acclaim. Testing and STC approval took about 6 months and was approved in April. Hartzell reached out and I volunteered my plane to be put into experimental category for testing and vibration tests. Flew up to Hartzell this week and they installed the Top Prop on. Installation went smooth and was done in a breeze. Improvements from the McCauley: Performance: Should see a minimum of 130 fpm climb increase up to 10k. Weight: 71.0 lb, a gain of 2lbs from the McCauley Glide: Equivalent Cruise Thrust: Higher thrust improvements I do anticipate on seeing improved performance in knots over time. I flew it home and felt it was much smoother than the McCauley right off the bat. Had a tailwind on the 3 hour flight home, so definitely don't want to compare numbers yet. Current price is around 15k with the spinner and STC. I was told there more than likely will be a price increase in October and potentially next year as well. They have 2 in stock now and willing to produce more with demand. They are interested in expanding the STC to electric de-ice or TKS and possibly TKS/FIKI if there's demand. Overall, I'm impressed with the Hartzell Top Prop propeller and can't wait to continue to fly with it. More PIREPS to come... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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