Inquiring Mind
Active Member
I'm curios why gyro manufacturers does not offer constant speed prop as an option?
Yeah, I know, but why don't they offer it as an option for PPL holders buyers?Because it makes the aircraft ineligible for operation by those with only Sport Pilot privileges, and that seems to be the target market. Otherwise, they're great to have.
That's a business decision, not a technical one, I imagine.
Maybe Fara can answer about his company thinking
On the old Lycoming-powered McCulloch J-2, the three blade metal Hartzel constant speed compared to the 2 blade wooden Sensinich fixed pitch offered a significant increase in ceiling, gross weight, and climb rate, while reducing cruise vibration and slightly helping fuel consumption. All of the 18As came with a constant speed prop, although some were two-blade and some three.
The prop wasn't an additional vibration source, but running at 2350 rpm instead of 2650 rpm made everything quieter and smoother with a less "buzzy" feel. The O-360 is much calmer if you slow it down a bit.. I do not think vibration in the prop should have anything to do with if pitch is adjustable in flight.
But from what I have seen you cannot expect much more than 5-7% increase on top end speed and similar increase in climb rate over a properly adjusted ground adjustable prop on Rotax 9xx series engines.
They do offer them on AG 915 motors.
replacing it with a DUC (French) CS prop and it made an enormous difference. (I only have a Rotax 912.)
Apologies for bumping a 5-month-old thread but I disagree with Abid on this one. He is in Florida so he only flies at really low altitudes (probably never even gets to 1000'), but the thinner the air gets, the more critical a CS prop becomes. I initially had a ground-adjustable prop and replacing it with a DUC (French) CS prop and it made an enormous difference. (I only have a Rotax 912.)
Apologies for bumping a 5-month-old thread but I disagree with Abid on this one. He is in Florida so he only flies at really low altitudes (probably never even gets to 1000'), but the thinner the air gets, the more critical a CS prop becomes. I initially had a ground-adjustable prop and replacing it with a DUC (French) CS prop and it made an enormous difference. (I only have a Rotax 912.)