3 Blade Propeller

[bparkman]

It seems as if I have never seen a 260se with a 3 blade propeller. Any reason for this? :confused:

[kwmoore]

http://www.260se.com/images/engine.pdf

[bparkman]

So it appears weight is the culprit. One of those sure would look good with a 3 blade on it though.

[witrakw]

One of my father's acquaintences, who heard I was getting a 182 with a two blade prop, quickly suggested that I look into the composite prop(MT series) even before I pickup the 260se.

The numbers that he supplied from the factory suggest that the weight of a three blade MT prop is about the same as a two blade hartzell. Performance wasn't measurably different.

The big difference seemed to be in decibel levels; the MT prop is claimed to be 8-10 db quieter!!

Other purported pluses of the composites is that they are easier to repair and if you prop strike--less likely engine damage and need for overhaul.

One big negative is that the three blade for a c182 is $10K plus shipping.

The quieter db levels sounds good to me, but when Todd was demo'ing the 260se to me, it sounded pretty darn quiet compared to what I'm flying now. I don't know whether part of that was his prop "dynamic balancing" or other factors with the airframes he refurbs.