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Constant Speed Whirlwind Prop Poll

Experiences With Whirlwind Constant Speed Prop Service

  • I am happy with the customer service I've received.

    Votes: 44 56.4%
  • I am satisfied with the factory meeting the delivery estimate.

    Votes: 18 23.1%
  • I am unhappy with the custmer service.

    Votes: 5 6.4%
  • I am dissatisfied with missed delivery estimates.

    Votes: 10 12.8%
  • I don't have a Whirlwind constant speed prop but I like to participate in polls.

    Votes: 25 32.1%

  • Total voters
    78

David Paule

Well Known Member
I'm interested in getting one of Wirlwind's constant speed props one of these days for the RV-3B that I'm building, and apparently the customer service or delivery estimates aren't always particularly good. This poll is an attempt to get a feel for how common this is.

The time period for the experiences to be reported in this poll are the last three years. The poll is limited to owners of Whirlwind constant speed props, and your own personal experiences. Please, no third party responses.

You can vote for more than one option, but please limit it to two. Thanks!

Thanks everyone,

Dave
 
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Dave - As you know our RV-3 has been flying with a 151(H) since it was new, and it is one of the biggest contributors to the incredible performance of the airplane - both in climb and top speed. However, a couple of things:

1) We have had great support from Whirlwind in Ohio and from Jim in San Diego - both before and after I have had this particular job (and yes, unfortunately, that can make a difference).
2) They have had some growing pains with the prop, and we had to have all three blades replaced and the hub machined at 500 hours. they did this for us for the cost of shipping - which I call great customer service!
3) I have been told that they are trying NOT to sell anymore new 151’s, but are supporting the ones in the filed. tehre is supposedly a replacement in the works, but I don’t know any details about it, or if it is appropriate for 320’s.
4) It is prone to grease leaks, which are annoying, but not potentially catastrophic. they are fixed with shims, and they fortunately have given me what I needed to fix the leaks myself - not sure if that is still an option or not.

YMMV, as always.

Paul
 
I've had some problems with my propeller spinner and some cracks in the paint of my RV200 blades. Whirlwind in Ohio BENT OVER BACKWARDS to work with me on the problems I was having. I'm now running the 74RV blades they seem to be excellent. While sometimes a little slow, their willingness to work with me and make everything right was simply outstanding! I have no complaint.
 
Slinging grease

On my 150C prop, it was slinging grease, I flew it back to the factory and had it taken care of that day. The performance of the three blade prop is amazing.
 
I can't participate in the poll because I have conflicting conclusions. I have my Whirl Wind prop now, and yes, delivery date was pushed back many times. But I can't say customer service was bad because they tried their best to keep me informed and did so in a positive manner. When I picked up my prop in OH, they gave me a tour of the facility they share with Titan and another company, and I appreciated the hospitality. The upshot: they are a company with good intentions and a growing backlog of orders. I hope they can improve and survive.
 
whirlwind 151h

my 151h shakes airframe excessively,especially on takeoff.
Whirlwind Aviation response "we no longer support the 151h".
limited parts available"we probably can not repair for you".
 
WW customer service

With the virus going on right now I'm sure everything from anywhere is going to be slow getting to you.
I've been to the Factory recently to pick up a 3 blade prop for a 180 Hp RV4 and there are hundreds of blades in work. I'm sure Whrilwind like many other factories are not fully staffed right now.
The staff that was there was amazing, friendly and Jim even took a few minutes from his testing to give me a quick tour.
Love the prop, quality is amazing
It's all worth the wait,
 
It sounds like there should have been an option to indicate if there has been an issue with the prop, not just about customer service.

Not needing customer service is the best kind of customer service!
 
I had my plane up in Ohio, 3 1/2 years ago with my 200RV whirlwind. Took it off the airplane and completely serviced it. It had 650 hours on it. Back in February, I started noticing oil spots on my windscreen. Yep, the Whirlwind was leaking oil and/or grease past the seals 800 hours on it now. $1140 bux to fix it.
 
Bill's right, I should have asked that question.

Regarding donaziza's prop, the factory recommends a teardown inspection every 650 hours or 6 years. Evidently the factory has reason for that.

Dave
 
Whirl Wind Moving Forward

1) Lead times are about 4 weeks. The days of waiting 6 months for delivery are a thing of the past. Significant production and management changes have taken place over the last 5 months with propeller production increased by a factor of 3X.

2) To clarify the 150-151 series is a legacy propeller and has not been in production for many years. The parts are simply not made anymore.

3) We have a new propeller series: The 300 Series 3 Blade 70”-72” Propeller that bridges the applications of the 151 through the 200 series (200RV-HRT series) and only weighs 36 lbs altogether. We have been working diligently for thousands of hours developing and testing this new propeller series over the last several years. 300 series propellers are available for Lycoming 0320 through IO-390 engines. IO-370/375 are ONLY SUPPORTED IF they have counter-weighted crank shafts. There are also two new propeller models finishing flight testing; news will be released soon.

4) Feel free to join our mailing list for general updates: https://whirlwindpropellers.com/aircraft/email-deals-signup/
Yes you may still get occasional email of us trying to sell you something, just don't check the airboats interest box to minimize that occurence.

Hope this helped inform everyone where we are coming from as a company and where we are going as a company,

Whirl Wind Aviation
1419 STATE RT. 45 S.
AUSTINBURG, OH 44010
Phone: 440-275-1540
https://www.whirlwindaviation.com/


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Bill's right, I should have asked that question.

Regarding donaziza's prop, the factory recommends a teardown inspection every 650 hours or 6 years. Evidently the factory has reason for that.

Dave

Yeah, but its only 150 hours from 650 to 800, and only 3 1/2 years vs 6.
 
It sounds like there should have been an option to indicate if there has been an issue with the prop, not just about customer service.

Not needing customer service is the best kind of customer service!

Agreed. I'm coming up on 600 trouble-free hours on mine, 4 years in service.
 
Faster Delivery times!!!

That is great news. I absolutely love my prop and encourage anyone interested in moving from FP to CS to look at these.
 
It's really cool to hear there's a competitor to the MT 3 blade prop for the 375 again. Price is about the same between the 2, MT quoted me 11,500 euros (currently 12,510 USD) with the spinner, and the whirlwind says 12,500 on the website. MT has much longer inspection interval, but the whirlwind weighs significantly less. Now if only Hartzell would respond to the multiple inquiries I submitted about their 3 blade option I would have all the information I needed. Really glad to see whirlwind opening up the 375 though, it was our number 1 choice before they stopped listing it as supported.
 
Whirlwind Prop for the Titan 370

It's good to see Hunter's clarification that Whirlwind does supply compatible props for the Titan 370 engines as long as the crankshaft is equipped with counter weights. All Titan 370's with the high compression pistons have the counterweighted crank as a rule and it is an option in the low compression models.

There had been some misinformation on this subject from other sources so this is very good news.
 
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