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..."