Cheap as hell out of box props?

[jvermast]

I've been flying my plane for about a week now and feel I've got the hang of it quite well. I can loop, hammerhead turn, touch and go, land, etc.

Why, oh, why, have both the props that I have, chipped the corners off? I'm not talking full break, but both of them on one of the blades have lost a corner and are now uneven....I've never crashed, I've landed hard on the grass and flipped over end because of the small tires but not once have I dive bombed.

I don't get it

I've read lots of suggestions on this sub forum for new props but whats the point in me dropping 200 bucks to just have to replace everything within a few weeks?

Any advice? Direct upgrade props with a better lifespan? I'm not planning on doing any upgrades to my engine or battery for a while, so I'll definitely be upgrading.

[flydiver]

Your prop is hitting the ground while still spinning, spinning fast. This will take a chunk out of it. Larger tires will improve ground clearance and help tipping forward a bit.

You might be interested in this for different props:
www.ampaviators.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=27

There are several good articles on props in there and a couple more on the Cub. Pretty decent site. Look around.

The stock prop isn't bad, it's just more expensive than it ought to be. Personally I liked the EF 10x7 on stock NiMh. I found the GWS SF kinda flimsy but they were cheap, an advantage for those still breaking props by the handful.

[jvermast]

Just picked up two GWS 10x6 as recommended by that site for 2 bucks each. Very good price!

[jvermast]

Yikes - definite performance hit with the GWS 10x6...I noticed the increased flight time (almost 25 minutes in the air) but I was taking a really long time to get off the ground and couldn't loop anymore.


Will the APC 11x7 give me the same thrust/flight time as the stock prop?

I think right now I'd like to have the option of floating around high or hot rodding...so I came up with:


High Performance/Low Flight Time: APC 11X7 or GWS 10x8
Low Performance/High Flight Time: GWS 10x6

[jvermast]

So I have tried the following props:

GWS 10x6
GWS 10x8
GWS 11x4.7
Stock SC

I find that none of the above gave me the same performance of the stock SC prop...is this right? Maybe I was thinking the plane got up in the air for a rolling take off faster with the stock SC prop....but maybe it's just my imagination.

[flydiver]

You are on the field testing side of the equation.
Ampaviator did the bench testing. Bench testing with a wattmeter allows you to ballpark props that will likely work and NOT burn out your motor. (Put a 12x6 slow fly on there-it'll kick a$$ until something burns up).

Then you field test and find out WHAT you like to fly for the plane, for the conditions, and for your 'style'. The most 'fuel efficient' prop may not be to your liking for power flying. Over prop for power and you get toasted electronics. If you optimize your power train and the power is not enough for you screwing around with props won't fix it. Only a power upgrade will fix it.

My buddy doesn't get hardly ANY of this. He just slaps on whatever is in his stash at the moment. As he breaks a LOT of props the rotation is vigorous. He showed up with a GWS 9x7 SF on his stock 3S powered Cub. Geez, it sounded TERRIBLE on take off. The prop was audibly distorting beyond 3/4 throttle. But it was not excessively large or small and it did work. It's just a piece of crap. But in his hand a short lived POS so.....what the hell.

The stock prop has been designed and thoroughly tested for the STOCK, 7-cell, NiMh power train. It does work well. It's just 50% more expensive then it ought to be.

The GWS SF props are flimsy. The GWS HD/DD (skinny) props are way more efficient but NOT thrusty. The stock prop is a SF with a LOT of blade area and has a fair amount of thrust.