Metal or Wood Prop?

[Frisbie]

I am rebuilding and restoring a 1940 BC-65. I flew a McCauley CM7447 for 26 fun years but now I think I want to use wood to save the weight, vibration dampening and looks.

My concern is what diameter and pitch should I use and what sort of cruise performance could be expected.

[Forrest Barber]

Only one, a 72-42 is the best and will knock down the cruise a wee bit..... I did find that the new props & the old props are sometimes different in performance. Do you have a loaner you could try?

[Frisbie]

Metal vs. Wood

Thanks for the input! That seems like a big difference...I will start asking some of my fly buds if they have a 72 42. What prop are you flying on your BC-12D?

[Steve]

I am most interested in this discussion, "my new toy" has a corrosion issue with the prop. I have just sent it off to the factory but the local impression is that it will not be repairable. If so I will likewise be faced with the question of which prop to get. I very much like the look of a wooden prop. It is after all a 1945 airplane, and it seems that the prop should be wood. Performance? I want it to be able to take off with a passenger but it is after all in front of only 65hp, and if I needed speed I would have kept my twin.

[lfries]

wood prop

I went from a metal to wood several years ago. I think the engine rev's up quicker after leveling off. I miss about 4-5 mph from the metal. The looks are are a lot better than the metal and I get compliments all of the time. Re: takeoff and climb I don't think I'm missing anything. My initial reason for changing was cost. Saved at least 1/2 what a metal one would have cost. Overall I'm happy with change.