Whirlwind 200GA prop feedback?

Whirlwind 200GA prop for O-360s?

Repeat subject from a few years back, but I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on this prop (good or bad). Thinking about making the switch from a Sensenich metal prop. I like the idea of a smoother prop, and one where I can adjust the pitch to a higher number for long trips, lower numbers for daily flying. I'd love to have their constant speed version, but too much dough/complexity.

I am currently running an O-360 w/ a Sensenich 72 x 85 prop. This seems to be a climb pitch for me as I climb 2,300+ solo, but easily exceed 2,700 RPMs WOT. About 202 MPH TAS seems to be my max speed at 2,700.

Here's what I'm looking for:

- Noise/vibration levels
- Performance gains or losses (climb and top speed)
- Wear and tear. Don't operate in rain much, but do have the occasional ding from small rocks on a grass strip
- Any other words of wisdom?

Thanks,

Rick
RV-4 N999XS

Not sure about WW GA200 for 360

You had better call WW Propeller in CA to inquire about the application on a 360. I'm running my GA200 on an IO-320 (165hp). Setting pitch is a pain but I like the results.

My hangar mate just put one on his 150hp RV-4 in place of a Sterba wood prop. His first pitch setting was way off due to mis-calibrating his digital protractor and the engine would only make about 1900 RPMs it was probably about a 90" pitch that way

Once the pitch setting was corrected to something more reasonable, it seems to be performing quite well. He says it's very quiet and smooth. The blade profile looks virtually identical to the blades on the 200RV CS props and that's a proven performer. It's got a nickel leading edge on the blades so that should help it survive rain and occasional dings better.

Setting the pitch is not as quick or easy as the Sensenich ground adjustable prop with it's machined pitch pins, but the WW is the only ground adjustable carbon fiber prop on the market at this time for your 360 engine.

MS19087 said:

You had better call WW Propeller in CA to inquire about the application on a 360. I'm running my GA200 on an IO-320 (165hp). Setting pitch is a pain but I like the results.

Click to expand...

WW says their GA200L prop is suitable for a 180hp 360 engine, and supports either 7/16" or 1/2" prop bolts.
http://www.whirlwindpropellers.com/ga/product_lycoming.html

The prop

. . . is suitable for an O-360. I talked to the folks at American Propeller today, and they gave me a price quote for an O-360 w/ 1/2"bolts.

Thanks for the info so far, guys!

Rick

whirlwind GA

I have 85 hours on my Whirlwind GA and on my 4. This is the only prop that I have had on the 4 so I don't have any comparison experience with other props. As for as changing the pitch for different trips, I wouldn't consider that to be practical. It could be done but way to cumbersome. With my O360 A1A there is plenty of power for climb even with the prop set for max cruise. My advice would be to consider your main mission, then set the prop accordingly. The prop is beautifully made. The nickel leading edge seems to be working as I have run in the rain occasionally. However, the nickel does not extend all the way to the tip, so dings in the tip area are still possible. Feel free to send me an email at smilesmith at fuse dot net . Be happy to talk on the phone with more detail.

I very seriously considered this prop for my RV-6 back in July when I found the crack in my wood prop. The Sensenich won the decision for me since I have an O-320 engine for which it is eligible, plus the pitch pin system looked nice, and I like the stainless leading edge material a bit better than nickel. Sensenich's customer service and delivery time on getting me a prop painted white and red to match my plane was nothing short of phenomenal. Also since I had to charge the thing on a credit card anyway, that extra 1 AMU it cost didn't hurt so bad at first but now I've watched my hangar mate set the pitch on his WW 200GA a few times, I think that having the pitch pin system has gotta be worth at least a few hundred extra dollars premium. Either way, they're both very good props. One of these days Sensenich will likely have one available for the 360, at Oshkosh they told me they were working on it, and possibly also a 3-blade version as well. That would definitely be a sweet looking prop.

Rick RV-4 said:

. . . is suitable for an O-360. I talked to the folks at American Propeller today, and they gave me a price quote for an O-360 w/ 1/2"bolts.

Thanks for the info so far, guys!

Rick

Click to expand...

This is key!

When I ordered this prop a few years back, when I was replacing the engine on my -9, it wasn't available with the larger, 1/2" bolts, even though they said it was.

When it arrived I was really impressed by the machining and quality of the thing. Even the spinner was too nice to paint over.

Unfortunately I sent it back because of the bolt issue and bought a Catto with the nickel leading edges and haven't looked back.

Please report back, when your prop arrives and let us know what you think.

Pitch change time?

Thanks Mark and Neal,

So when it comes to changing the pitch, how long of a process are we talking? I've heard 30 minutes is a good estimate. Does that seem legit?

I guess I envision changing the pitch maybe once or twice a year, at the most, as that's about how many long multi-leg trips I do a year. Right now at cruise, at 8000 feet, I'm running nowhere near full throttle. The engine monitor shows 51% power, 7.1 GPH (60 degrees ROP) and this gives me about 185 MPH TAS. This usually is about 2475 RPM.

While I could run the prop at 2,700 RPMs and speed up, what I'd rather do is have a higher pitch at full throttle and wind up with about 2,500 for noise/vibration with WOT. And I do realize my climb rate will suffer some by doing this.

For just "flying around" and the occasional short trip, I don't see messing with the pitch.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,

Rick

20-30 minutes on the WW is probably about right, given that you may find yourself futzing around a bit getting the blades to settle at a precise degree measurement with an electronic digital protractor device before tightening down the bolts.

If you're going to be changing pitch often, then you'll also need to buy a supply of replacement Nord-Lock washers. Nord-Lock themselves recommend using them no more than 5 times (initial use plus 4 re-uses), if you lube the inside mating surfaces with light oil. The Nord-Locks on my Sensenich are much larger in outer diameter (1") than the ones on the WW and they make such a loud and disturbing noise when loosening them, that I don't feel very comfortable re-using them that many times... maybe one or two re-uses tops, and I've already re-used mine once. The Zoro Tools website (www.zorotools.com) seems to be the lowest price place I've found for the Nord-Locks that fit my prop... and their website isn't the easiest to navigate either, it took me a while to find them on the site in small quantities instead of bulk quantities of 200 at a time.