I have been running an APC 11x6 on my OS 46 AX in the ARF Kaos since about the 5th flight and it has been a really good prop. I dinged it a little when I ran it into a fence last year and sanded it out, the tips were just a little rough. It performed very much the same afterward.

Last contest I ran out of gas having Tony F. help me learn some basics after official flying, I made the field but stalled it making the turn to line up on the runway and banged every corner including bending the nose gear and knocking about an 1/8th" off of each tip of the prop. I flew the last two flights on Sunday and didn't notice too much drop in thrust, but they weren't my best ever flights. I thought there was a little less up in the uplines but didn't think much more about it, until today.

It was hot, two weeks later and the only model I'd flown since was a 61 powered ship. I had to run the engine wide open to fly anything with an upward element. My friend Tak was there and he asked if I was needing to fly it wide open normally. He had called for me and judged me before so his question made me wonder. I landed and mentioned the propeller damage, he was already looking over the new spares in my box. I found a new 11x6, installed it, and MAN!what a difference. I was back to the normal 3/4 throttle and normal distance in uplines, reducing power on the downlines, good acceleration when adding throttle, and it was holding on at low speed like it used to. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced it myself, I don't think. I guess the last little bit of the tips on APC's make a difference!

Chris...

The prop can really make a difference. One thing you said here that makes me nervous is that you flew the prop after you "dinged" it. My general rule is any ding or scrape on a prop I change it till I can inspect it and re-balance it in the shop.

I'mreally glad you fly jets Chris!

Yeah,
But I said I sanded it out, too. I didn't elaborate, but after the fence ding I spent a whole lot of time dressing it up, and balanced it at home. After the contest incident I did all of that on the field before the next flight, after Jon Carter and others helped out with bending my wire gear back straight!
The point was that about an 1/8th" of the tip's material was missing after the second incident and I experienced reduced thrust from the disc.
Thanks for your concern, though.
Chris...

Yeah, yeah.
When I was carving my Speed props from resin blanks back in the 60's for the Navy Nats Speed events, I was 9 years old. Now I'm a beginner!
Chris...

Hey are you flying your new Classic pipe ship or flaking out at work? Get some priorities!
Chris...

I'm not flaking out at work, work has alreadyFLAKED me out! I was razzin you dude, I'm a cheaposo I file and balance my props too!
But I'm still flying Grandpa Kaos at the moment, I'm about ready to stick the fixed gear in the P-7, duct tape the openings, and fly the witch!

hQQk

Funny, just when you realize there is nothing you can do about the bad things at work. Emotional, isn't it?
Ah ha! Frustration with all of the nit picky system items? I have experience! (Luckily I have mechanicals and went simple early, decided that what he had in it was just good enough.) Hope you get it all worked out, heck you have two weeks.
Chris...
Razzin', I know.

I'm with you on the props, Chris. Last week I was flying my Leader 480 (APC 12x6E) at my house (roughly-paved road for a runway) and dinged the prop on a pebble taxiing back. It took about 1/2" off one tip, so I cleaned it up and matched the other side since I didn't have another prop in my box. I noticed a need for more throttle, that it was a little noisier, and just didn't fly nearly as nicely. Last night I put a new APC 12x6E on and it was back to its quiet, powerful operation again. That last 1/2" really makes a difference!

Andy

Just like FOD in a jet engine...

But much cheaper to fix!

Andy

FOOD in a jet engine! Oh, you said FOD! I never had much in the way of a FOD issue, but those danged CF700s sure did not like turbulence above FL370, and the relight envelope was well below that !

Back to the props, at the field last week I mentioned to one of the guys that I needed to change the prop (an ever so slight nich along the tip side, APC 11x7). He laughed and said some of the guys will fly em with one side 1/4" shorter than the other or all nicked and beat to heck. I was like what ! I guess you can get away with it but like you guys noticed (Andy and Chris) you can really start to feel/see the performance difference.

I've got the gear issues worked out Chris, they go uppy up and downy down real nice now. I just need to adjust the offset in the wings and she'll be ready; I'm going to fire up the Kraft tomorrow. See you in two weeks Buddy (yeah,you nailed it onthat work stuff too). Andy, if you make it up to the Classic I'll have a single stick Pro-Line Comp 6 with an XPS 2.4 module that you can put your paws on if you want (not sure if I'll have airplane for it, but just for the nostalgia).

Mark