Need propeller selection help on my newly purchase RV-3

I have a newly purchased RV3 with a Warnke wooden propeller. This is the first wooden propeller plane I have ever flown in 11,000 plus hours of flight time. I understand you cannot fly a wooden propeller in the rain. I need to be able to travel in this airplane and not be worrying about a rain shower. I know a metal propeller will probably throw out the CG. Could someone with experience in this area help me with selection of a new propeller? The RV3 has an O-290G.

jscottpilot said:

I have a newly purchased RV3 with a Warnke wooden propeller. This is the first wooden propeller plane I have ever flown in 11,000 plus hours of flight time. I understand you cannot fly a wooden propeller in the rain. I need to be able to travel in this airplane and not be worrying about a rain shower. I know a metal propeller will probably throw out the CG. Could someone with experience in this area help me with selection of a new propeller? The RV3 has an O-290G.

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The few times I flew with a Warnke prop in light rain I reduced power and never saw any erosion. Great prop btw if you are not familiar with it. Back in the day I tested many of Bernie's new designs for him.

Go Catto

A Catto two or three blade with nickel leading edges will solve a couple of problems, one being the rain issue. Secondly, you'll be amazed at the speed gain

I flew behind a Catto for 5 years and 600 hours in my -6A.

Best,

Have you looked into the difference between the -G and the -D or -D2? The O290G has a thinner propeller flange, and most engine mechanics, including my A&P engine overhaul instructor, recommend against using that engine with a crankshaft extension or a metal propeller.

There is a long history of O-290G conversions, an internet search can bring a lot of it to you.
I have an O-290G with an O-320 crankshaft & connecting rods. Many O-290G conversions have upgrade parts, so read the engine logbook for a start. You may have a desirable crank.
I have a Ted Hendrickson prop on my T-18, and a CATTO on my RV-8, neither have metal leading edges. In rain, I slow to under 2100 RPM, which will still blast right past a spam can going full tilt.
I did run the Hendrickson full blast into the rain for 5 or 10 minutes. It did strip the urethane varnish off the blades, in a narrow band near the tip. The white painted tips were unaffected. A little touch up, and a few days to let the varnish dry, we were back in business.
Your mileage may vary, but I suggest you fly with the prop you have, avoid rain when you can, and slow to under 2200 when you must fly thru the rain.
Keep that prop sealed. if you see exposed wood fiber, put some paint or varnish on it. Wood props are great, you just need to get the right attitude and learn how to take care of it.
After you fly your current set up for a while, you will gain a feel for any upgrade. Maybe you would like some more speed or a better climb rate. Maybe your weight & balance will permit a few more pounds of prop...or not.

Not so fast...

jscottpilot said:

I have a newly purchased RV3 with a Warnke wooden propeller. This is the first wooden propeller plane I have ever flown in 11,000 plus hours of flight time. I understand you cannot fly a wooden propeller in the rain. I need to be able to travel in this airplane and not be worrying about a rain shower. I know a metal propeller will probably throw out the CG. Could someone with experience in this area help me with selection of a new propeller? The RV3 has an O-290G.

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First, congrats on the RV3, the pick of the litter!
I flew two different Warnke props on my 150HP RV4 for 4 years prior to installing Craig Catto's first RV 2 blade prop. The first prop I bought was from the namesake, Mr.Bernie Warnke. The second was from his daughter Margie who took over the business after his death. Mr. Warnke was an ingenius inventor and designer from the greatest generation. He survived WW2 and concentration camps learning to wood carve with cuckoo clocks and learning to fly in gliders. I visited his shop in Tucson just before his death to pick up my prop. He greeted me at the entrance to his "T Hangar" wood shop and I was treated to the aroma of numerous hardwoods, glue and resin. The floor was a sea of wood shavings and tucked in the cormer was his pride and joy, an RV3. It sported a very curvy prop he was testing at that time. Back during the RV early days (when builders cared about weight and cost) his props outperformed everything around at that time with it's unique "almost constant speed" blade warping. I flew it in rain after Bernie recommended I reduce power to 2200 RPM or less in visible moisture. This worked well for nearly 400 hours until removing it to display on my mantle.

I currently operate a Catto on my RVX. Craig Catto has vastly improved his current prop design and blade protection and is IMHO the best value out there. I have nearly 2000 hours behind various iterations of his design, the current one having nickel leading edge protection.Rain isn't an issue I can assure you. I would highly recommend his product for your 0-290G. Performance wise however any fixed pitch prop I have flown in the past 20 years (including the Catto Gen3) will at best match the Warnke performance, not exceed it.

The Warnke "almost constant speed" is becoming a collectors item, an amazing design from a great designer.

V/R
Smokey

Smokey,
I have heard about the "almost constant speed" props for years. How can I tell if that is what I have on my RV4? My B. Warnke prop is from around 1995. It is a thing of beauty. It has no identifying marks on the blades except for his signature (I have not seen it off the plane yet).

ACS

CATPart said:

Smokey,
I have heard about the "almost constant speed" props for years. How can I tell if that is what I have on my RV4? My B. Warnke prop is from around 1995. It is a thing of beauty. It has no identifying marks on the blades except for his signature (I have not seen it off the plane yet).

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Cat/David,
Bernie's masterpiece "Almost Constant Speed"came to pass in Bernie's telling by accident. He was watching a giant Dutch windmill spin and noticed when the wind increased the blades changed pitch under a load. He experimented with making his blades thinner using 62 laminates of hardwood with a scimitar shape and a carbon fiber backing for strength. This allowed the blade to flex with load changes. High load, flat pitch, lower load, coarse. It didn't flex much, but enough. It was a quantum leap in propeller design in 1993 reminiscent of Theodorsen's work, 70 years prior.
Every one has his signature on the blade and the name of the person who ordered it on the hub with a brief engineering spiel and the dimensions/HP written with a sharpie. You can tell if yours is an ACS by the blade's thin airfoil and wood finish center with painted tips and a carbon fiber backing showing through the flat back paint.
One of it's flaws was delamination of the carbon backing. Bernie was an early experimenter with laminating carbon fiber onto a wood surface and the requirements were complicated. Despite all of this his props literally spoke for themselves. My 150HP RV4 easily flew alongside RV's of much higher HP with ease. In climb it would turn up to 2400 yet when you pulled it back at altitude the prop stayed in the same "constant RPM". A marvel of engineering born from an experimenters mind and carved by hand in a wood shop.

Take good care of it, they are becoming rare...
V/R
Smokey

smokyray said:

... You can tell if yours is an ACS by the blade's thin airfoil and wood finish center with painted tips and a carbon fiber backing showing through the flat back paint....
V/R
Smokey

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Thanks Smokey,
Your description sounds like what I have, and for the record I think it performs very well.

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That's a winner!

CATPart said:

Thanks Smokey,
Your description sounds like what I have, and for the record I think it performs very well.

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Yessir!

V/R
Smokey

PS: Nice airplane!