Story ID: 446 BLR LABACE.doc
BLR’s Whisper Prop Keeps King Airs Quiet
By: Ian Sheppard
Caption: U.S. company is here this week promoting the benefits of its winglets and quiet props for King Airs this week.
Word Count: 337
BLR has brought its Whisper Prop for Beechcraft King Air twin-turboprops to LABACE for the first time. Introduced to the market in May following certification by the U.S. FAA, the Whisper Prop system is a new “ultra quiet” alternative for King Air 90s and 200s. BLR (Booth 2004) is in the process of applying for certification in Brazil under ANAC, according to Dave Morone, the U.S. company’s v-p sales and marketing.
  
The Whisper Prop features carbon fiber blades with natural composite cores “for superior noise and vibration dampening,” according to BLR.Its relatively small diameter (83-inches on the King Air 90) further enhances smooth, quiet operation.
  
According to Morone, within two months of FAA certification, the company had recorded its first seven orders for the Whisper Prop system. According to BLR’s own flight test data, the King Air 90 GTi with Whisper Prop is up to 50 percent quieter (in dB - depending on audible frequency) compared to King Air 90GTx fitted with regular propellers. 
  
The company also has its King Air winglets on display along with the certified performance charts that illustrate the possible improvements brought by the combination of BLR’s winglets and the new props, which includes runway performance improvement of up to 33 percent, “as well as significant gains in useful load.” Other benefits include, “access to shorter fields to reduced trip times, and greater safety margins,” said Morone.
  
BLR remarked that one of the first Whisper Prop customers, a King Air 90GTi operator, said, “It feels more like a turbofan than a turboprop.” Morone said that, “the reductions in noise and vibration levels are quite remarkable,” adding “until now, this level of quiet comfort has been unavailable to the King Air market.”
  
Whisper Prop was designed to integrate with BLR’s Winglet Systems, providing King Air 90 and 200 customers the opportunity to fly to an improved and certified flight manual supplement. The systems may also be installed independently, however, said BLR. o