Some of our gang on the west coast have been able to get some flights on the new 12x6.5WEP.  There are (so far) five reviewers on a total of six airplanes - and results vary per application.  Preliminary observations include:
  * Compared to the 12x6 thin blade the new prop needs to run about 500 RPM slower, and it will use somewhat more battery
  * Compared to the 13x5.5 the new prop needs to run about 900 RPM slower and may use somewhat less battery
  * 2 reviewers say the prop is noisier than the 12x6 (perplexing!) 1 reviewer says it is quieter than the 13x5.5 (lower RPM & smaller dia).

A very rough table with comparisons is attached, here are some of the comments from the reviewers.  I also hope the reviewers will chime in to add to or correct anything I attributed to them.

Andy Borgogna:
“I didn’t much if any improvement on the PT-19 but then again the power system in that plane is not a good match for the plane.  At the end of the
flight the KR timer goes to full power for about ten seconds and it feels like the plane is going to shed its wings.  The plane was time at 4.4 second
lap time.  On the other hand the Naughty Girl did improve with the new prop.  Line tension and overall feel of the plane seemed much better.  Stan
Tyler, one of the better flyers in our club, put it through the pattern and said “leave the power right where it’s at, it’s near perfect”.  The next
plane I will put the prop on is my converted Trophy Trainer, it has the same power system as the Naughty Girl with the exception of the timer, it has
a Hubin FM-9, but I am thinking about changing it to the KR timer when some are available.   If you have any additional questions or additional data
you need collected let me know, I will be happy to help in any way I can.”

“…once I had the PT-19 power setting right I really didn't see much difference between it and the 13x5.5EP I had been using.  But (and it's a very big
BUT) I really did see a positive improvement on the Naughty Girl.  Like wise Stan Tyler did too.  So I am starting to think the improvement you see
will depend on the plane you fly.  One thing I will say I really see no need to keep 12x6EP, 13x5.5EP and 12x6.5WEP all in my flight box for 40 to 50
size planes.  I think I will settle on the 12x6.5WEP and just make the motor adjustments to fine tune the plane to the prop.  One thing Stan said that
might be worth thinking about, the Naughty Girl has a thick airfoil and a blunt leading edge he suggested that might explain the improvement with the
new prop.  I'm not an expert so I will with hold opinions on this. “


Larry Wong:
“This 12x6.5 WEP is very noisy.  As for flight I found no problem, except it req. more Battery that means weight.   I think the narrow 12x6 EP is #1
and the thick hub 12x6EP #2.  But will try the 13x5.5 untrimmed then trimmed to 12” and see what I get.“


Mike Scholtes:
We gave it 1-minute test flights and checked motor temp at end of the flight. No apparent heat issues. However when I put in 5 min 15 secs (my normal run time) I ran out of battery about 2/3 through the flight, so I am not able to tell how much was consumed compared to the normal 2400ma with the thin 12-6EP. That was my last fully charged battery.  Long story short, I can't yet report how the new prop will perform. I did have to reduce rpm by about 500 to get the same lap time, and it pulled well through the part of the pattern I was able to complete. It does make a lot of noise compared to the thin blade, though less on my model than Larry's P40 ARF even though we are using the same motor.


Phil Granderson:
Went flying yesterday and today with new prop.  This is a brief with more details to follow:
 
   First the good news: I like it!
   Now the better news: Seemed to use less power than the 13 x 5.5.
   Now more good news.  No real noise, in fact may actually run quieter.
   Other good news:  Seems to have a similar effect on turns as the old Rev-Up EW props you guys came up with.  Tamed Elroy to a smoother corner.

After seeing what the results Larry had I was a bit apprehensive but my results were quite different.  Larry was there yesterday too.  In short I
think it is a good prop.  It does some things differently and is a great addition for certain conditions. 

Cleon Lingwood:
"I gave the new props (12 x 6.5 'real wide') a try today.  Very nice.  The vertical climb in the clover leaf was awesome!  The prop works very well with my eFlight 25BP yanking 70 ounces.  I got two flights in today, I'll keep you posted as I do more testing..."

In addition, I did not notice any noise change.  I altered my power train from an Arrowind 2832-05 to the eFlight 25BP just prior to the test.  The Arrowind was running the APC 13 x 4.5 EP.  I had to reset the FM-9, dropping the RPM about 1000 RMP to 8780, resulting in 5.2 second laps on a 'test' T-Rex with 64 foot lines.  Line tension was great everywhere.  My brother flew the plane (his first on the T-Rex) and commented that the line tension surprised him.

The vertical performance was great, but remember, there was a motor change, too.  The overhead eights and the cloverleaf were tight on the lines even though the day's air was still, no wond to speak of.  As for electron consumption, I can't tell yet, but the motor did not drop off until the 'warning' at 5 minutes 20 seconds.  BTW, the plane is using Arrowind 3300 batteries.   

Phil Granderson:
Went flying yesterday and today with new prop.  This is a brief with more details to follow:
 
   First the good news: I like it!
   Now the better news: Seemed to use less power than the 13 x 5.5.
   Now more good news.  No real noise, in fact may actually run quieter.
   Other good news:  Seems to have a similar effect on turns as the old Rev-Up EW props you guys came up with.  Tamed Elroy to a smoother corner.

After seeing what the results Larry had I was a bit apprehensive but my results were quite different.  Larry was there yesterday too.  In short I
think it is a good prop.  It does some things differently and is a great addition for certain conditions.

THE REST OF THE STORY SO FAR
Motor: Eflite 25
ESC   Ice 50 lite
Timer: Hubin FM-9
Battery: Zippy 4s, 3000
Line length: 69’ (handle to center of plane)

Flew a total of 9 flights over 2 days.
Day 1:  This was a rare day with wind almost non-existent at 0-1 mph with gusts up to 3 mph.  RPM set at 8,172 on Hubin box.  Lap time was 5.5 seconds, which is quite slower than normal.  I was surprised that I could do the entire pattern in those conditions flying that slow.  Line tension in level flight was more than usual and on overhead was less than usual but still better than IC planes especially in the overhead 8.  The most surprising thing was that there was no apparent prop turbulence and subsequent rolling or loss of lift.  was no tendency to roll or loose lift in dead calm air.  Wish I had had this prop at the Golden State meet last Oct., as conditions were dead calm. and no apparent prop turbulence. 

Day 2:  Wind conditions were different with wind between 4 –8 mph and plenty of turbulence.  Increased the RPM to 8,270 on the Hubin.  Lap times approx. 5.35.  Line tension was stronger everywhere with virtually no difference at any part of the pattern.  Inside rounds had improved line tension at entry and seemed to lock and groove better than with other props.  Overall airspeed was very consistent.  There was virtually no difference in power usage with increased RPM.

Conclusion is that this is definitely a very good addition to the other props and may actually be my preferred prop.  I just need some more flights and direct comparison to 13 x 5.5 and 4.5.

Test Flights Results 1/10 & 1/11/2012:
SV-11 ARC/Paint
68.4 ounces ready to fly
Power 25
TP 3900 4S
Hubin FM-9 Timer
.018 stranded, 63' eyelet to eyelet
Conditions: 40 -45 degrees, wind on 1/10 was blowing  and a very turbulent  N.W.  @10-20 MPH, so I kept it level. Today, it was 5-10 MPH, variable.
All flights 5 min. duration with  2140-2187 mAh consumption.
I like this prop alot. Much more so than the APC 13x 4.5 and 12x 6 EP Pushers. Specifically, it cut the air better on the overheads and had increased line tension up top. Upline climbs were improved and downlines demonstrated increased braking; which one would expect with all the blade area. None of  my flying buddies( Tom Hampshire, Doug Benedetti, and John Ross ) thought it was noisy.Lap times measured upright and inverted were 5.35 seconds.
Thanks  a plenty to Dennis for having APC run these and thanks to Bob Hunt for supplying me with two.
Frank

Today I finally got to try the new wide 12"prop  on my Sultan in perfect flying weather.
I am comparing it to the 13 X 5.5 EP.
IT required 800 RPM less
Volume of prop noise about the same
Corners seemed to be smoothed out a bit (a bit larger turning radius , probably because of the extra weight of the wide 12")
Greater prop clearance from ground
Power consumption about the same M.A.Hrs.
A little less line tension in overheads
 Overall it is a good prop for me , but I like the 13" prop a bit better and will probably keep using it because I don't want to give away any line tension overhead.
Keith

My third day of testing the new prop     (wow)  what a monster!
Arrowind 3526-05
Kv 685
22.2 volt lipo 2650 Mah
6S 20c
5:25 flight time
5.1 sec laps
8100 rpm
Ice lite 50 esc Hubin Fm9 timer/ with field programmer
12 6.5ewp prop
SV11  64 oz.
A whole lot of line tension, sharp corners, and nice lap times through 9 flights.Was running 13 4.5 pusher at 10,000 rpm, tried the new prop at that and lap times were3.5.put my arm back in the socket and reduced the rpm to 8100 and got 5.1 lap times.I'm gonna keep trimming the airplane and rpm to a finer point but that new prop is one air mover!    Jimmy

Dennis....OOPs   4.5 my bad didn't proof that one...but still was fast and painful...
  Jimmy

Hi Dennis,

I finally got to do much more flying with the new prop. I managed to win our Nats with it this last week-end. My Electron weighs 1835 grams now, or 64.7 oz. and this prop hauls the model around with total authority. I slowed the rpm down from the 12 x 6 thin pusher, and I'm now running at 8700 but with my variable gain system. On average I found that you can go down about 200 rpm from the thin blade 12 x 6 pusher and have good performance.

I'm still using about 100 mAh more battery but the Electron flies much better. My lap times are 5.2 secs and I must say that in rough weather and turbulence this prop comes to life! The altitude at our field is around 5000 ft. ASL., and I'm using 1900 mAh for the 5:35 flight. The highest I've used is 2100 mAh when I was running a lot faster. The Electron uses the MVVS 6,5/910 motor on a 4-cell 3300 lipo. The extra swishing noise is there but you get used to this quickly. My biggest problem is with the spinner, and I totally agree with jeff about the Dorito guy moustache look!

Keith R

Guys.

This Prop looks great.  Has anyone felt the need to re-pitch this prop?  If so...what pitch did you take it to.

  Dave.

Hi Dennis, I slowed the rpm down from the 12 x 6 thin blade and took 10 seconds off the flight time. The battery usage is also dependant on the weather and how rough it is. I'm using a 3300 4-cell lipo so I have enough power to spare. What impresses me about this prop is the authority it gives through any maneuver in our thin air. I could not spin the 13 x 5,5 fast enough to make a good comparison, but the 12 x 6,5 EW is a performer. It's actually a pity that it looks funny! I truly believe that APC made a big mistake by stopping production on their thin blade props. I understand why they did this, but it's still a pity. The 12 x 6 and 11 x 5.5 are great props as they were. I'm still able to pick some up locally so this is good. I also appreciate the work that you keep doing with APC to develop good C/L props, so keep it up!

Percy tried it on his Centurion (modifed Impact) but it used too much power for him. His model is bigger and has a fatter wing and he is enjoying the thin blade 12 x 6 pusher.

Keith R

Bob,
Thanks for posting the report. Seems like this prop gives a few setup options. If the line tension is increasing you could either increase line length to reduce the pull back to were you are comfortable or reduce the rpm and slow the ship to get to the comfortable tension level. Moving the leadouts is normally not the best way to setup line tension. The position of the leadouts is normally set to maintain the wing in line with the flight path (i.e. not hanging in or out as you go vertical say into a wingover). If you move them forward you will increase line tension in level flight but lose tension above 45 deg. If they are back to far you lose penetration as the fuse gets dragged across the flight path. I would suggest adjusting line length first (general rule of thumb add 1ft reduces lap time by 0.1 sec).

Best,               DennisT

Guys,
Has anyone tried to tweak the pitch a little instead of increasing the rpm? I know some don't like repitching and doing the pushers can be a pain. I was able to flip around my Prather pitch gauge and it will give you a starting point. I am lazy when it comes to repitching (well maybe a few other things too) so I only pitch the 70% out from the hub point which is about station 9 for the 12" diameter. Once I get the correct angle on the pitch bar I clamp it with a small "C" clamp. With the Prather the numbers are on the inside and don't line up so they are not usefull. What you have is the blank aluminum side of the pitch gauge. I simple draw a reference line along the pitch bar on this plate. Now you can move the bar say 1/64" up, clamp, repitch both blades and go fly to check the lap speed. B clamping you get the same pitch on both blades every time. I don't have any of the new props yet have a few of the originals still so am good, but it would be interesting to hear how it works compared to increasing rpm.

Best,         DennisT

Just use a mirror. It's not as messy.