Press Releases

Nemesis NXT tops 400 mph in qualifying

Hartzell holds an unblemished record of 10 consecutive wins in the Sport Class at Reno. Pictured is pilot Jon Sharp.

PIQUA, Ohio — 22 October, 2008,  — Hartzell Propeller Inc. has maintained a perfect record in the Reno Air Races Sport Class since its inception a decade ago. Their tenth consecutive win took place September 14 at the 2008 National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. “Nemesis NXT” took first place, piloted by Jon Sharp behind a specially-designed 3-blade Hartzell propeller system. The airplane reached a speed of 409 mph in qualifying and 392 mph in the race itself.

Specifically designed and manufactured for high-speed racing, Hartzell’s new-generation lightweight, compact propellers aid in the development of props for the General Aviation market.

“The propellers we’ve designed for the various Reno racers achieve very high race speeds,” said Mike Disbrow, senior vice president of marketing at Hartzell. “This clearly illustrates the amount of engineering effort required to create the optimal solution for each aircraft,” “This is just as true for ‘regular’ airplanes as well,” he added.

“We take home a significant amount of data and experience from Reno,” Disbrow added. “Over time, this knowledge finds its way to the commercial market, which benefits everyone.”

The Sport Class race, first held in 1998, highlights innovations and advancements in the development of high performance experimental kit-built aircraft. Competition is fierce and expectations are high as the world’s finest pilots assemble to compete for speed, precision and skill. Pilots race a 6.37-mile, low-level aerial track dotted with pylons, consistently reaching speeds of over 350 mph, requiring top performance and agile precision. Sport Class racers are the second fastest class of airplanes at Reno after the “Unlimiteds” whose entries are mostly performance-enhanced World War 2 fighters.

Hartzell’s propellers have driven several memorable winners during the 10 year history of the Sport Class category. A Lancair IV championed the race from 1998-2000; a Lancair Legacy from 2002-2005; and finally Nemesis NXT from 2006-2008; each piloted by Dave Morss, Darryl Greenamyer, and Jon Sharp respectively. This year, Nemesis NXT, equipped with a Hartzell 75 inch diameter, three-blade, constant-speed propeller also set a new race record, qualifying at over 400 mph, and crossing the finish line at a remarkable course speed of 392 mph.

Today Hartzell Propeller is widely recognized as the leader in advanced propeller design and manufacturing technology. The company has recently developed the next generation of propellers based upon innovative “blended airfoil” technology and is manufacturing these blades on revolutionary machining centers, or with its new ASC-II™ composite technology to provide mission-optimized performance for its customers. Hartzell traces its beginnings in 1917 to a relationship with Orville Wright and was founded on the principle of “Built on Honor” – a tradition that continues today.