propbuster

My Feedback: (1)

Hi Guys, I was looking for 1/2a props at my LHS today and all they had was a couple of APC "sport" 6x3's. I've never used them before and was wondering what you guys thought of them. Thanks

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

They are excellent, fragile, but excellent. I don't see them very often at the LHS, usually all I see are MAS, which are also very good.

Bipe Flyer

I like the APC props better than any other brand. They let the engine spin up more, are better balanced and don't flex as much. I use them from 4.5" on my .020s to 16" on my Saito 1.00 and everything in-between.

Andrew

Prop --

My experience, but YMMV -- others may have had different performance. They wind up more than a MA, probably due to the lower blade area and since they're stiff, they don't de-pitch at high RPM. They give better speed on light slick planes than the MA, but don't seem to do as well on heavier, draggy airframes. I tend to break more APC's -- if the prop is not horizontal on landing, you can easily break a blade.

Due to the large mounting hole, you will have to use a piece of fuel tubing on the prop shaft to keep the prop centered until you get it tightened down.

They will slice and dice and can turn your finger into dogmeat in a hurry.

Bipe Flyer

Good things to point out, Andrew. I needed five stitches after an incident with an APC prop on a Norvel .074.

There's only one size that I've found where I prefer the MA to the APC and that's a 7X3.

propbuster

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks guys, I'll try one out tommorow on my ME 109!
CP, Fragile isn't what I need! Hence my user name on this forum!
Bipe, I have a 11x7 I'll try on my OS .40 too.
Andrew, The first thing I noticed was the larger diam. hole, and was thinking that fuel tubing might do the trick. And, they do look like they'd do a nasty job on ones fingers too! [X(]

hfenn

APC= Awfully Painful Cut

hfenn

OUCH! AwfullyPainfulCut!

KidEpoxy

bahh, I've gotten sliced just putting the %!@$# plane in the backseat of my car.
The plane is suposed to get the hanger rash, not me!

AndyW

My Feedback: (1)

For blade area, Cox is tops, second is Grish black Tornados and last is the APC. Prop selection depends on the plane awright but the engine you're running matters too. If you've got a Cox reedie, one prop might be better but if you've got a snarling AME .06, the other might be best.

What engine, what fuel, (nitro) ? All will affect your prop choice. I've found that, amazingly, a Cox, black, rubber ducky 6 X 3, while it didn't out rev the APC, it hauled the freight better. AND, it'll never break. [X(]


At least that's what I found with a souped up Brodak .049 on my Low Stik.

MJD

My Feedback: (1)

The trouble I have with APC props (which otherwise perform excellently and I pretty much use them exclusively) is the center hole is drilled, not molded, and is often off center. On small high rpm engines that spells trouble, well actually on any engine it spells trouble. My preferred centering tactic is to open up the drilled hole to provide some clearance, then fit a bushing to the molded recess in the rear of the prop hub. More work yes, and not everyone has the tools to do so. But it certainly can improve your dynamic balance even if the static balance is okay.

Oops I'm ranting.. well yeah I am. I recently pored over my collection of APC 1/2A, pylon, and sport props and was aghast at the accuracy of the prop shaft holes. I called APC about it and they said, yes indeed they have trouble with that. It does not seem to me to be a major problem to fix with decent fixturing.. Problem is, I cannot help thinking tons of people just fly them "as is" and run into all kinds of vibration problems as a result. Apart from normal imbalances in the molded product, adding poor shaft centring to the mix just compounds the problem. Also I am not sure that typical prop balancers always index off the shaft hole either on smaller props. Depends whether or not the balancer centering cone centers on the molded recess or the shaft hole I guess.

MJD