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Propeller Comparisons for the Top 80

Helix Propeller

Pilot Report:
I weighed and measured the three props that I have and I got to fly all three today at the beach. I took off and did full power climbs to 750 ASL. I noted the max RPM and climb rate. Then I circled around and flew @ 150 ASL to see how much RPM (power) it took to fly level. I would radio the results down to Dilly and she recorded it.  Then I landed changed to the next prop and did it again. Here is what I found. The Helix was the clear winner for me with a 340 FPM climb rate, better max RPM and lower power needed to fly level. So if price is no option...Helix T2HA. But maybe for beginners (who have more chance to stumble and break a prop) the wood would be the way to go. Much cheaper.

Top 80 Prop Comparisons

Brand Length Prop Weight Max RPM Climb Rate Fly level RPM
Helix (T2HA) 51 ¼ in. 30.35 oz. 9,700 340 FPM 6,400
MAH (carbon) 49 ½ in. 27.98 oz. 9,500 305 FPM 6,900
Pro Pulsion (wood) 49 1/8 in. 33.21 oz. 9,600 285 FPM 6,800


My all up weight (wing, motor, reserve, agama, fuel, and me) was 118 K. The wing is UP Summit XC med. It's 29 meters flat area. DHV 2. Not sure what the static thrust is but this at least gives you an idea of how they stack up against each other.

    - Mike

 

 

 

 

 

Pilot Report:
After Mike did his comparisons, I realized that I wanted to do the same, so a couple of days later, I flew all three propellers on my machine and wing to see the difference. Keep in mind that these numbers are averages, and not hard numbers. I did each test a couple of times and averaged the numbers out to arrive at this outcome. Weather and conditions were good for this kind of test, as they were done over the water at the beach in smooth laminar seabreeze conditions in the late afternoon.

Top 80 Prop Comparisons

Brand Length Prop Weight Max RPM Climb Rate Fly level RPM
Helix (T2HA) 51 ¼ in. 30.35 oz. 9,500 400 FPM 6,400
MAH (carbon) 49 ½ in. 27.98 oz. 9,500 360 FPM 6,700
Pro Pulsion (wood) 49 1/8 in. 33.21 oz. 9,350 330 FPM 6,900


My all up weight was 225 lbs. The wing I was flying is the Ozone Viper 20 and the motor is the Top 80 ABM.

    - Chad

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for tightening your propeller:

Propeller Bolt Torque

In the manual the torque is indicated at 9/11 N.m

For wood propellers the 9 N.m is about the limit, in US we use 80 inch/lbs

For the carbon fiber propellers we suggest 90 inch/lbs (which is less than recommended on the manual)

These torque amounts put it at the recommended limit of the stainless A2 bolts, that's why I use only 90 inch/lbs.

If you choose another bolt then you will need to also choose an appropriate nut (trying to find a nylon nut for a higher rated bolt is very difficult). Plus to get any advantage from the choice of a higher grade bolt I think you would need to torque it to a higher torque and for the wood this can't work because it already squishes it at 80 inch lbs.

-Francesco DeSantis