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Catto Prop Installed

cactusman

Well Known Member
Some hiccups with hardware but so far so good. Very nicely balanced.

Carbon spinner amazing.

Thanks to Tony T for being my pathfinder on this project.
 

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Hmm - very interesting, would love a bit more details on how to order, costs, install watch outs, etc. Just may end up on my Christmas list!
 
Hmm - very interesting, would love a bit more details on how to order, costs, install watch outs, etc. Just may end up on my Christmas list!

One watch out is to be careful showing off the spinner and make sure you have a good hold on it. It is possible to drop it and scuff up the tip if you are not careful!!!!

Call Craig or his daughter Nicole. They will fix you up with just a few questions.
I have a 3 blade, NLE 76"x69". I get right off the ground quickly and climb great. My cruise is great. I dont have exacts for cruise since I havent finished my wheel pants and fairings. On my trip from Idaho to Michigan, after taking all the speeds below 90 knots out for TO and Land, I averaged 142 knots. The wind is good in that direction and we flew between 7500 and 9500 most of the way but I was happy. I have a O-320 D2A on my 9A.
 
Well, now that Cactusman has outed me, I guess I'll tell my Catto story.

I have wanted a fixed pitch prop for my RV-12 since early in it’s history. Installation and maintenance seemed to be much easier. Compared to the ground adjustable, the blades are always in perfect pitch with each other, and the manufacturer can static balance the prop with a high degree of accuracy.

My Catto story starts with my Bro, Bob Bogash. A couple of years ago he decided on the Catto fixed pitch (without telling me) showed up one day at my hangar with this beauty installed. It is a 68” dia. 56” pitch. Bob calls this one Catto1.
This is Bob hisself:
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Bob did an extraordinary amount of testing of the prop and shared all of that with Catto. Based on the data, Catto did a modification and developed a 64” dia. 62” pitch which is what Bob now has on his 12. Bob calls that one Catto2

Catto1 turns out to be what might be called a Takeoff and Climb prop. Bob arranged a home for Catto1 and I bought it used with 100 hours and now have it installed on my ship.
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Here is data for Catto1 that I developed for comparison with Van’s published performance for the RV-12.

CATTO 3-BLADE FIXED PITCH PROP - 68” DIA. 56” PITCH
I flew multiple speed runs at 5500 rpm and density altitude 7500’

WITHOUT FAIRINGS IAS=98 TAS=110 MPH=127

WITH FAIRINGS IAS=102 TAS=114 MPH=131

VAN’S NUMBER WITH FAIRINGS MPH=136

CLIMB PERFORMANCE to density alt 7500'
Weight 1090 LB

Begin climb RPM=5178 IAS=77 1209 fpm
End climb RPM=5188 IAS=76 677 fpm

Time to Alt 6 min 42 sec

Conclusions:
1. This prop gives cruise speed 5 knots less than Vans’s published cruise for the RV-12. This was expected.

2. The wheel fairings add 4 knots more than without fairings. This was also expected. I do have Van's step speed plugs installed...

3. Rate of climb is about 200-300 fpm better than Van's published numbers for the 912 ULS.

I believe that the Catto2 prop will give performance about equal to Van's published numbers as it is designed for a little more cruise speed. The prop that Cactusman has is a Catto2. Understand that Catto1 and Catto2 are just names that Bob and I are using to distinguish between Catto's prototype and the most recent prop. The prop Catto is selling now appears to be a Catto2.

Installation is a breeze. Just bolt it on. No protractor needed.
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The spinner comes your choice of clear coat carbon fiber, painted to match, or primer. Bob got it primer and painted it to match. I opted for the CC carbon and it looks pretty cool, the workmanship is first cabin.
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As Cactusman said the prop is very smooth running. The smoothness is probably my greatest pleasure with this prop, it feels like riding in a car. The noise is also subdued a bit and is more of a whirring sound. My non-pilot wife even commented on it. She thought is sounded quieter and had more "lift".
The prop and spinner are top quality stuff from a small boutique manufacturer. It's an expensive option. The prop & spinner kit with hardware costs about $4200. Delivery is slow due to the current situations in the supply chain.

Did I mention the looks
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Great writeup and info Tony...sorry for "outing" you lol...and thanks again for all yours and Bob's help on spearheading this new option for the -12 community.
 
No second row of spinner screws?

I noticed there's not a second row of Spinner screws (closer to tip) as there is in the stock Sensenich configuration.

Does it just connect to the original backplate only or is there a new backplate too?
 
I noticed there's not a second row of Spinner screws (closer to tip) as there is in the stock Sensenich configuration.

Does it just connect to the original backplate only or is there a new backplate too?

A new backplate comes with it. The forward spinner bulkhead is incorporated into the spinner and there's a cylinder cone that is part of the forward bulkhead that fits into the crush plate. Both Tony and I had to have the crush plate lathed out to the proper dimensions - I have sent the info to Nicole to include on future orders - problem is not everyone ordering a Rotax prop has the RV12 - and other operators frequently configured this with 8mm bolts and threaded lugs. Catto doesn't do the hardware - Saber in TX does.

We ended up with new slightly larger lugs, longer and thicker drilled head prop bolts and metal lock nuts and washers.
 
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A couple more thoughts

The spinner and backplate are fitted by Catto. The assembly is very concentric. The spinner comes drilled for the pitot tube bushing (RV12 specific, in case non-12ers are reading this) but the bushing is not furnished. You have to order the bushing from Van's.

Someone might be wondering if this prop change is a "major" change that requires FAA concurrence under the operating limitations. Both Bob and I figured it would be so interpreted if a problem came up. We both got FAA concurrence from the local FSDO. In my case, I had a phone number and I called the FAA inspector letting him know what I was planning. He requested a program letter which I emailed to him that same morning and by afternoon on the same day I had an email back with FAA concurrence! I had proposed returning the airplane to phase 1 in the original test area for a 3 hour fly off, which was granted. The inspector said that if I had asked for a different test area, approval might have not come back as quickly.
 
Why bother losing 5 kts and $4200 ? Photoshop a 3 blade on your -12 if want to send a picture looking cool. Makes me want to switch over my 2 blade Sensenich to my Rans S21 to see if I can improve the performance.
 
Why bother losing 5 kts and $4200 ? Photoshop a 3 blade on your -12 if want to send a picture looking cool. Makes me want to switch over my 2 blade Sensenich to my Rans S21 to see if I can improve the performance.

I think it was more than looks and performance. With Van's incorporating basically an annual dynamic prop balance, dealing with that protractor, the different weights of those sensenich blades etc.

When you compare the 3-blade Sensinich pricing and all the parts and spinner from Vans it probably isn't that far apart. Of course the ELSA certification for builders ordering kits adds a wrinkle, so Vans really needs to offer this as an option imho.
 
Suppose you operate at higher elevations (Denver) and want more pitch? Seems like ground adjust would be answer as opposed to a "fixed" fixed pitch prop...
 
I finally got my Catto prop installed on my RV9A 0-320 160 HP Lycoming. Besides looking cool, it does everything Catto claims. I can only get 2500 RPM so far at 3 to 5,000 ft altitudes WOT. My static RPM is 2180, which is a bit low. With the Sensenich prop I could easily get 2600 RPM and static was 2250. So that's the only issue so far. The prop really works good as a brake when in the pattern, which is what I need for my grass strip that has rising terrain at both ends.
george
 
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