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Hartzell’s dramatic new blended airfoil technology can be readily seen in the propeller featured in this photograph of the Lancair Legacy Sport Class Gold winner at Reno in 2002. The aircraft qualified at a new Sport Class record of 347.774 mph and was piloted by Darryl Greenamyer.
PIQUA, Ohio October 25, 2002 — Hartzell Propeller has announced that the top three finishers in the Sport Class at the Reno National Championship Air Races this year were flying behind its propellers. Hartzell propellers have now been in front of every Sport Class Gold Race winner at Reno since the class inception in 1998. The top speed at the 2002 race (328.967 MPH) was achieved by a Lancair Legacy flown by air racing legend Darryl Greenamyer. Greenamyer’s unofficial speed was approximately 340mph, but was reduced to the 328mph mark due to a 14 second penalty that was assessed for missing a pylon early in the race. Greenamyer’s Legacy featured one of Hartzell’s “blended airfoil” propeller designs which utilize the very latest aerodynamic design capabilities and manufacturing expertise. Finishing Second at 327.668 MPH with a Hartzell prop was a Thunder Mustang and in third at 307.704 MPH was another Lancair Legacy with a Hartzell prop.
Hartzell’s success at Reno showcases its unique ability to engineer mission optimized solutions for its customers. The 75 inch diameter propeller on Greenamyer’s Lancair was developed specifically for high speed use at Reno’s elevation with the highly modified
Continental TSIO-550 race engine turning 3000+ rpm. The high speed, high elevation, high rpm condition causes the propeller to have a supersonic tip Mach number, which can lead to high drag induced by a sonic shock wave. To counteract this affect, the propeller featured thin transonic airfoil sections and a highly engineered swept planform design with a raked tip to produce high efficiency under these adverse conditions. In stark contrast to Greenamyer’s propeller, the relatively large 101.5 inch diameter propeller developed for John Parker’s 2nd place Thunder Mustang was specifically engineered to take advantage of the 640hp (SL ISA) generated by its Falconer V-12 engine at a relatively low 1600rpm at the propeller. This low rpm allowed Hartzell to take advantage of the ability to increase the diameter by 7.5 inches over the stock propeller, which increased the race speed of the Thunder Mustang by approximately 20mph. Finally, the propeller for Dave Morss’ 3rd place Legacy was a modified version of the propeller used on Greenamyer’s Legacy, since it was using a Aerosupercharger Solutions supercharged version of the TCM IO-550 engine. “This variety of propellers, all achieving very high race speeds, should clearly illustrate that much engineering effort is required to create the optimal solution for each aircraft. This is just as true for “regular” airplanes as it is for race planes,”stated Mike Disbrow, Senior Vice President at Hartzell Propeller Inc.
Hartzell/Sport Class Gold at Reno
2002 – Lancair Legacy – 328.967 MPH
2001 – Race Cancelled
2000 – Lancair IV – 328.045 MPH
1999 – Lancair IV – 319.671 MPH
1998 – Lancair IV – 308.164 MPH
Hartzell Propeller Inc. is widely recognized as the leader in advanced propeller design and manufacturing technology. NASA has recognized Hartzell’s advanced design capability by naming it the exclusive propeller partner for its General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program. The company has recently developed the next generation of propeller designs based upon innovative “blended airfoil” technology and is manufacturing these blades on revolutionary machining centers 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 principal of Built on Honor – a tradition that continues today. For more information visit the company on the Web at www.hartzellprop.com or fax your request to Hartzell at (937) 778-4321.
