Story ID: 426
Hartzell Composite Five-blader Embraced by TBM Owners
By: Nigel Moll
Caption: The composite Hartzell propeller is now installed in more than 30 percent of the TBM fleet. 
Word Count: 403
Hartzell has delivered 230 advanced swept-airfoil five-blade ASC-II props for Daher TBM 700/850/900/930s since the FAA approved the prop in 2014. The Piqua, Ohio-based manufacturer made the announcement on September 19 shortly before the Annual TBM Owners and Pilots Association Convention, held in Phoenix, Ariz.

“Hartzell’s high-performance structural composite propellers are now flying on roughly 30 percent of the entire Daher TBM fleet after less than three years on the market,” said Hartzell Propeller executive vice president JJ Frigge. “The reasons are simple. These attractive, high-performance propellers perform with shorter takeoff rolls, a better rate of climb, higher cruise speeds, a smooth ride and shorter stopping distance with less noise.”

The Hartzell prop available for retrofit on the TBM 700 and TBM 850 fleet is delivered as standard equipment on new Daher TBM 900s and TBM 930s. Hartzell says its props have the longest warranty in the general aviation industry, providing assurance all the way through first overhaul. The new propeller is available through Hartzell’s Top Prop conversion program or through Daher’s dealer network.

The strength and light weight of the composite structure allowed Hartzell to optimize blade chord thickness and sweep. With the new prop, the TBM 700/850 accelerates from zero to 90 knots 10 percent more quickly than with earlier propellers. The new prop also improves rate of climb by 100 fpm. Hartzell says that compared with its four-blade metal prop, the new prop raises cruise speed by two or more knots and by a full five knots over a five-blade wood-core propeller. The Hartzell five-blade prop is also “significantly quieter in the cabin and in the pattern.”

Five-blader for Meridian and M500 too

In advance of the annual Malibu/Mirage Owners & Pilots Association Convention in New Orleans last month, Hartzell announced special pricing for the five-blade composite propeller designed specifically for the Piper Meridian and M500. The $49,000 price tag includes the new five-blade Raptor lightweight hub, ASC-II carbon-fiber blades, compatible de-ice equipment, new polished spinner, gust lock covers and full STC documentation.

The new blades are certified for unlimited life, and Hartzell claims they are five to 10 times stronger than wood-core blades. They have a stainless-steel shank, nickel cobalt leading edge and a mesh erosion screen for FOD protection. The new five-blade design is 15 pounds lighter than the current factory-installed aluminum four-blade propeller and, says Hartzell, 10 pounds lighter than similar wood-core propellers.