I posted this under the thread "My impressions of the MT Ultra". I have posted it here incase you did not see it.
Oct 18, 2017#1
As many of you know I had a 3 blade MT on my 180hp 2012 Husky and decided to try the New MT Ultra. After about 50 hours on it I thought I would share my impressions. I did not want to say too much about it too soon without giving it a fair evaluation. I will comment and compare it with the two metal Hartzell's and the other MT props certified and available on the Husky, I have experience with all these props however I do not have any experience with the new composite Hartzell prop itself and only limited experience with the 80 inch metal Hartzell.
My overall objective was to increase the cruise speed over the 3 blade and hopefully gain some climb rate but for the most part, increase cruise speed was the main objective.
I was very happy with the original 2 blade MT 210cm prop I put on my first Husky I owned in 2004, I was one of the first to put this prop on a Husky and I was glad I did, it was far and above better than the original 76 inch metal Hartzell. This original MT prop has been out long enough and talked about in sufficient depth and detail that I do not need to go over it again here except to say it is a fantastic prop. When I bought my second Husky, a 2012 180hp A1-C, 4 years ago it came with the 3 blade MT. The airplane was an inventory airplane the dealer had in stock so there was no ordering it with the 2 blade MT, also at the time the 2 blade original prop was limited to 2,600 RPM due to noise certification issues with the higher gross weight of the 2,250 pound gross weight of the Husky A1-C, I was not willing to give up 100 RPM, no way. ( I think I have this right, correct me if I am wrong)
In the back of my mind I was wondering how this 3 blade MT was going to perform in comparison to the original 2 blade I had on my previous Husky, my initial thought was it will probably be smoother, pull a bit harder on take off, cruise a bit slower and have more drag at idle. All my initial assumptions were pretty much spot on except it seemed to pull about the same on take off as the original 2 blade MT prop. It took a while to come to these conclusions and actually at times I thought it was a bit faster but then again at times I thought it was a bit slower. This was all pretty much seat of the pants, IAS on the airspeed indicator at various temperatures and so on, not very scientific to say the least. It wasn't until my buddy bought a 2007 Husky with a 2 blade original 210cm MT prop did it really sink in as to the speed difference between the 2 props. He was on 29 inch Alaska Bushwheels and I was on 8:50's and he was only one inch of manifold pressure slower than me. Wow, that was very telling for me. I also asked many of you who had experience with the 3 blade and 2 blade original and 2 blade Ultra your opinions in the past and all of you pretty much echoed what I discovered. 3 blade is slower than both of the 2 blade MT's. Ok, so Im convinced now after bending everyones ear. I did not want to just give it an expensive try without some good reports from others. I know, Larry and John say if you don't like it then return it for a refund but I did not want to go thru that process if at all possible.
I called Larry at Flight Resource, the holder of the STC's for the MT props on the Husky and many other airplanes. I have dealt with Larry in the past when I put the original MT prop on my Husky in 2004 and that was a very nice experience so I knew this time would be no different and it was fantastic. Larry had one in stock so I bought it. AS luck or tragedy would have it, I had to attend a funeral real close to where the prop was located. I called Larry and asked him if I could meet him the next day and pick it up, Larry was out of town but his partner in the company John dropped what he was doing on a Sunday morning and met me at their facility so I could pick the prop on my way back home! Thanks John!
I installed the prop (very easy) and flew the airplane, initial impression were very favorable. I wanted to fly next to my buddy's Husky on 29's for a comparison. Well, he had a failure with one of his tires and put a set of 8:50's on it. I was disappointed I was not going to be able to do a side by side comparison of how it was set up when we flew side by side with the 3 blade. Well, if I had the 3 blade prop on now Im sure he would pass me with both of us having 8:50's, only seems logical, right? I was pleased when at many different power settings I passed him! By how much? Not sure exactly but it was by a noticeable amount.
Flight Resource claims about 4-7 mph faster than the 3 blade MT and I can honestly say that is about right. I also noticed an improvement in climb, a couple hundred feet per minute or so, not scientifically measured but seat of the pants and VSI indications. So, all in all I am very pleased with the switch.
Some differences other than speed between the New 2 blade Ultra and the 3 blade.
3 blade smoother but not by much, both incredibly smooth, 2 blade lighter, 3 blade has much more drag at idle which makes it better for descent control and spot landing, the 3 blade makes the Husky come down like a tool box when throttle closed! 3 blade may be a better choice for Idaho back country for the wider descent envelope, they pull on take off about the same, 2 blade better if you fly over water and need to extend glide in the event of an engine failure.
Overall my objective was met with the switch to the 2 blade Ultra.
So, what should you do you ask? Should you switch? Well, tough call since it involves money. If you have either of the metal Hartzell's I would say definitely switch! The 80 inch metal Hartzell performs ok but it is HEAVY and having a lot of friends that have been stung by the Hartzell hub AD's in the past makes me leery of them. I considered the new Hartzell composite but since from what I gather the performance between it and the MT Ultra are close and with the Hartzell AD's and how they treated my friends who were affected I chose the MT, I have always had great success with the MT. Now if you have the original 2 blade MT that makes the decision to switch to the Ultra more difficult. I think the Ultra is a better prop all the way around than the original 2 blade MT but they are close enough that only you could decide if the money difference is worth it to you. If you are ordering a new Husky I would definitely order it with the new 2 blade MT Ultra, no question. As far as switching from the 3 blade MT to the 2 blade MT Ultra, well, I think you know where I stand on that, I took a leap and did it and for me it was well worth it.
All 3 MT props are fantastic props, they do not have ANY RPM restrictions that the metal Hartzell's have but for me, the Ultra is my choice, great prop.
Kurt Wien
