Prince Propeller
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:00 am
by wlarson861
I have been a Prince propeller owner since I built my plane. Today I am convinced that they are the right choice for me. I had my center hinge pin from my cowl vibrate forward into the propeller and depart the aircraft which caused some damage to the prop. I sent an e-mail to Prince describing the damage and asking what to do to repair it. A few minutes after I sent my E-mail I got a phone call from Lonnie Prince wanting to talk about the issue. I have his opinion as to how to do a field repair without sending the prop in to the factory which means about a $10 cost and little down time. I think everyone should consider that Prince aircraft is working for our best interests. Even though Sonex doesn’t list them as a viable company I will always think them to be superior to the other brand. High rpm static does not always equal fast blast off and climb!! My Prince P-Tip has always performed well.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:55 am
by vigilant104
It was great that Lonnie Prince took time to attend the American Sonex Association fly-in at Crossville last year, he gave a very informative presentation on prop carving. And he donated a brand-new prop to be raffled off to support the ASA. He’s obviously a big supporter of Sonex builders, and a good guy. I know several people flying with Prince P-Tip props, and they like 'em.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 2:46 pm
by MichaelFarley56
Glad to hear your story Bill. I’ve been very happy with my P-Tip as well!
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:57 pm
by falvarez
I am about ready to order my propeller and I am planning to go with the P-Tip. Lonnie was really pushing the carbon fiber prop vs wood. Please let me know your thoughts if the carbon is worth the extra cost.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:32 pm
by wlarson861
Mine has the composite cover and today it probably saved the prop. The dings in the coating are repairable, I don’t know about how well unprotected wood would have fared.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 10:42 am
by MichaelFarley56
Personally, I like the looks of the carbon cover and I appreciate the optional leading edge protection you can add to the prop. I don’t think cost is that different. If you’re going to use your plane to actually travel some, the extra protection will probably pay for itself if you ever fly through any rain. Our engines turn fast enough that unprotected wood props can be damaged quickly in heavy rain.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 11:01 am
by vigilant104
wlarson861 wrote:Mine has the composite cover and today it probably saved the prop. The dings in the coating are repairable, I don’t know about how well unprotected wood would have fared.
Bill,
Glad to hear that the prop is okay, that’s a big deal. But, inquiring minds want to know: Were you able to find and repair the hinge pin? 
Mark
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 11:15 pm
by wlarson861
Didn’t even look for the hinge pin. It should be in the grass somewhere on the approach. Bought new music wire at the hardware store and will fab a new one, this time with a restraint attached to the cowl.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:35 am
by N111YX
Here’s an easy way to secure the front hinge pin. Make a small “L” bend at the end then leave about two inches to float up and tuck under the cowl halves. It’s a bit dufficult to see in the pic but it works for me!
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 8:49 am
by radfordc
I had a lower hinge pin slide forward and into the back of my Sensenich prop. I left a small scratch in the rear face of the prop but the damage wasn’t significant. I now insert the lower pin from the rear of the cowl.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:01 pm
by fjdoug
+1, i insert the pin from the bottom of the cowl, then the 2 short ones at the firewall.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 2:00 am
by wlarson861
I finished the repair and re balance of the prop and flew it today. The new hinge pin has a loop that goes to a riv-nut on the cowl and is secured with a screw. Hopefully this will fix the problem. To Kip: The music wire I found at the hardware store wasn’t long enough to do what you did so I had to do the mechanical attachment.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 6:53 am
by MichaelFarley56
Glad you were able to fix the prop Bill! Hopefully the Sonex is good to go now. Are you thinking OSH this year?
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 12:33 pm
by dtwolcott
Bill glad you found a solution. I will be interested in seeing how you did it.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:57 pm
by rizzz
Received my Prince prop today, a true work of art! I’m looking forward to flying behind it, that’s for sure.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2014 8:29 pm
by jaywa
You will find the effect of pitch flexing of this prop a good boost to performance , and in addition I have to say that I have had personalised and responsive after sales service from Lonnie Prince, which is very different from the desultory stuff you get sometimes from other Vendors.
Have fun
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2014 11:12 pm
by Bryan Cotton
From the positive feedback I am leaning towards the P tip. Please let me know how you like it Michael!
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2014 1:05 am
by wlarson861
About 10 hours since the fix and so far so good. If the gods smile I will be off to Oshkosh in the morning. Mr. Prince needs to know that the immediate and unexpected attention he gave to my problem will not be forgotten and the next prop I buy will be built by his company.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:43 pm
by kevin814
[quote=“rizzz”]Received my Prince prop today, a true work of art! I’m looking forward to flying behind it, that’s for sure.
That is one beautiful propeller. I currently have a wood Sensenich cruise prop, but have always been curious about the P tips. My climb performance is a little lacking, and I’ve been thinking of going to the standard pitch. Has anyone done testing against the Sensenich prop? I’m curious if there is any change in climb RPM, and any speed difference at cruise RPM, or any other observations. My 3300 climbs at 2850 RPM and full throttle straight and level is only 3150 RPM.
Kevin K.
Re: Prince Propeller
Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:05 am
by rizzz
kevin814 wrote:Has anyone done testing against the Sensenich prop? I’m curious if there is any change in climb RPM, and any speed difference at cruise RPM, or any other observations. My 3300 climbs at 2850 RPM and full throttle straight and level is only 3150 RPM.
Kevin K.
I believe MichaelFarley56 originally had a Sensenich and swapped it for a Prince P-Tip later on. You might want to ask him, he’s a mod here.
For the people with a P-Tip out there, what length bolts do I need to hang it on the prop hub?
My prop hub is a Force One from GP which should be similar to the AeroVee in flange thickness.