Sensenich Propellers, among the oldest in the aviation business, showed the newest of propeller technology at Sun ‘n Fun this year.
Famous for its elegant wooden propellers – things of beauty as well as function – Sensenich featured its new composite props at its fly-in display. The ground-adjustable blades are built of carbon fiber and are surprisingly light in weight, being hollow. Their curvaceous blades suggest optimal aerodynamics to anyone with an eye for airfoils.
Sensenich representatives say the propellers are exceptionally tough, light weight and vibration damped. Pitch can be ground-adjusted up to 16° to optimize performance within any desired envelope. Specially-designed calibrated hubs make pitch repeatability easy. No special tools or gauges are required.
Currently, the composite props are being offered for Rotax 912, 912S and 914 engines in both tractor and pusher configurations, and in a smaller, tractor-only version for the same engines but for airspeeds up to and beyond 150 mph. There also are tractor models for Jabiru 2200 and 3300 engines, with pusher versions coming next year. Composite props for the Continental O-200 will be available later this year.
