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Aluminum 3 Blade prop on RV7 with Lycoming 390

BLUEWAVERV7

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Has anyone used a 3 bladed aluminum constant speed prop off a arrow 200HP on a RV7A with a Lycoming 390 and how was the performance?
 
Before looking at performance it may be wise to look at which 3-blade metal props, if any, have had vibration studies done on the IO-390. I think you may find the list of tested props is very short, thus you would end up being in uncharted waters with respect to understanding whether any RPM restrictions might apply.

The IO-390 is a fairly late-comer to the Vans aircraft but has been used extensively in the Glasair Sportsman. In that airframe there are no 3-blade metal props used with the IO-390. If you want a 3-blade then you're limited to composite props on that airframe.
 
Yes, can't emphasize Canadian Joy's comments enough. The metal props are really big tuning forks. It's just not worth putting it on your RV-14 when there are viable 3-blade composite props available. And the composite props available are tuned for the performance of the RV's. It's a win-win.

Vic
 
The danger of using a composite prop on an RV7 is that you can end up with an aft CG problem and have seriously limited baggage capacity.
 
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