Press Releases

PIQUA, Ohio — August 4, 1994 — Five-bladed Hartzell turboprop propeller systems have been proposed for use in the conversion of Grumman Albatross flying boats into highly capable fire fighters. Key design concerns for the propeller system include durability and reliability in the highly corrosive and erosive environment in which seaplanes operate. The proposed propeller system consists of specially designed aluminum blades that are aerodynamically optimized for superior low speed thrust.

In seaplane applications, low speed thrust is what gets the aircraft onto the “step” quickly and therefore reduces take-off distances as well as cycle times in a fire fighting scenario. The five blades are fitted into a steel hub that features cadmium coated parts for maximum resistance to corrosion.

The Hartzell five-blade steel hub system has a proven field record with more than a million flight hours on the Shorts 360. The company is therefore able to demonstrate actual reaction of the propeller components to high time situations.

The Hartzell system benefits from the company’s long-term experience with seaplane and float plane applications dating back to the 1940s. This experience includes the Republic Seabee, the Lake Renegade and Buccaneer as well as turbine conversions of other Grumman amphibians.

Hartzell Propeller Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of propeller systems, enjoying an 85 percent market share on corporate turboprops and a 60 percent share on turboprop airliners. The 77-year-old company is also well-known for its design leadership having introduced the industry’s first full-feathering propellers for light twins, the first fully-reversing propellers for corporate turboprops, and the industry’s first composite structure blades.

Additional Utility/Cargo Aircraft with Hartzell Propellers:

Antonov An-38 Pilatus Britten-Norman BN-2 Turbine Islander
Basler Douglas Turbo DC-3 Pilatus Britten-Norman Trislander
Cessna Caravan Dornier 27
Beech 18 deHavilland Twin Otter
Dornier 228 Siai Marchetti SF600TP
GAF Nomad Shorts Skyvan
Piaggio P.166 IAI Arava
Catic Y12 PZL Wilga
Casa 212 Gavilan
Conair Grumman Turbo S2
Pilatus PC6 Turbo Porter
Pilatus PC12