Wipaire and Hartzell introduced the New Yukon Prop for Caravans at the 2023 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo.
According to Chuck Wiplinger, president and CEO of Wipaire, testing is now complete on the new four-blade carbon composite prop.
“At last year’s EAA Airventure Oshkosh, the prototype in our booth garnered a lot of attention,” he said, “people wanting to know about its performance. This year, at SUN ‘n FUN, people can see the Yukon on our C208B with a Blackhawk -140 engine conversion.”
“There is up to a 26% decrease in total takeoff distance from land and up to a 31% decrease from water,” added JJ Frigge, president, Hartzell Propeller. “This translates into safer takeoffs and landings on smaller lakes and shorter runways. Cruise speed is increased at lower power settings, up to 2 knots faster, saving fuel while increasing speed. Another big improvement is in weight. Coming in at 137 pounds, it is up to 19 pounds lighter than other available props.”
Wipaire is now accepting deposits for the new prop, which is expected to receive its FAA STC in the third quarter of 2023.
The STC will apply to C208s and C208Bs, either on floats or wheels, with the PT6A-114A 675 shp engine and the PT6A-140 867 shp engine.