I got an as new fan from a guy hear on this site. Last saterday on my first flight with it, about 2/3rds into it , it chucked a blade.

I could see no signs of this fan having a problum, and I am shure the guy that sold it too me had no idea there was a problum with it.

Are the Byron fans prone to loosing blades, or was this a fluke?

I have the old one that I replaced that is pretty chewed up but is ballenced and will fly the jet. I also have an almost new fan that has one very small chip on one blade ( I havent checked it for ballence yet). I also have a Gray fan but don't know much about it, it looks like it was for a smaller engine.

Is there any way to know if any of them will be likely to chuck a blade?

Thanks
Dave

I picked up a plane that has seen Many flights from a grass field ( nicks every where and it has never thrown a blade. I think it was a casting problem etc?

The newer Byron fans--not sure just when the change was made--beefed up the center section of the hub. The newer 91's were capable of spinning the centers out of the older designs. Spun 3 of them out myself. Look to see that the center portion of the fan has a raised surface, approx 1/4" in height.

I have never thrown a blade, except when the center section failed and I have been with the Byron stuff for a long time. 20 + years now....

A Byron fan could be damaged when installing the fan on the engine. Holding the fan on a table top and trying to tighten the nut on the shaft, you could put enought pressure on two of the blades to maybe fracture one if you were not careful.....but otherwise..........I have never had a problem.

Never seen one throw a blade. HAVE seen the centers blown out, that can be expensive if you blow the engine.
I would be dollars to donuts that something came loose inside the fuselage and hit the blade.

I had a tuned pipe come off and the connector went through the fan. No damage to the blades, but it took hunks out of the shroud and spit them out the back during flight.