Using a non-wood prop on Long Ez?

[Didily ridily]

I’m thinking about getting a composite prop, possibly ground adjustable to let me play with the performance, but know that wood is the recommended.
 

Does anyone actually have experience with modern prop options?

I’d rather not realize a mistake during runup or mid flight. 🤕

[Marc Zeitlin]

1 hour ago, Didily ridily said:

I’m thinking about getting a composite prop, possibly ground adjustable to let me play with the performance, but know that wood is the recommended.

Does anyone actually have experience with modern prop options?

1. What engine do you have?
2. What propeller do you think you're considering?
3. What problem do you think you're trying to solve?

[Kent Ashton]

I wouldn't think you would learn too much from an adjustable pitch prop.  See the chart below.  When I read about a prop in use, I added it to the chart and used the figures to build my own prop although it is probably easier to specify the engine to one of the established prop-builders and they will give you a good prop. 

The first prop I built worked great on a 160hp O-320 (a 65" Dia X 79" pitch) and the second one for an O-360 would have worked great if I'd taken a little more care in building it.  Happy to send you the airfoil files if you want to try one but it takes an apparatus to clamp up the boards and a vertical mill to drill the prop holes squarely.  After that it's just a lot of cutting, carving, and comparing.

In the PDF,  "C at 75%" is calculated circumference at the 75% blade station.  "Angle degrees" is the chord angle but it is often a guess because prop builders quote the chord angle in different ways

PropCompare2.pdf

[andymeyer]

Most of the "composite" props are carbon or glass over wood - truly "composite".

Most of us are flying with these - as built by Prince, Hertzler, etc...

The Long EZ typically is close on landing field and take-off field requirements so an adjustable prop won't make much difference in field availability. As far as climb, yes - an adjustable prop may help some, but you also give up some cruise efficiency as the shape of the blade for an adjustable prop is a compromise whereas a fixed pitch prop would be optimized for one condition. You'd also pay a penalty in weight and complexity - which are certainly important to consider in these airplanes. One cancelled flight and you've cost yourself all of the gains in climb performance.