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The U.K’s. Maritime and Coast Guard Agency has certified Hartzell’s six-bladed structural composite propellers for use on Griffon Hoverworks BHT hovercraft. This marks the first ever U.K. certification of a structural composite prop for a this type of aircraft.

Modern hovercraft hardly resemble the science fiction curiosities of the early 1950s. They are massive ships designed to quickly ferry passengers and cargo across difficult terrain. Hartzell’s durable composite props, which are certified for unlimited service life, are the perfect fit for these rugged transports. The newly certified props are 11.5ft in diameter and created significant weight and fuel savings for the BHT 130 hovercraft used in testing.

The hard work of Hartzell’s engineering and manufacturing staff led to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption for the test ship. Each composite propeller weighs more than 100lbs less than the original props. Hartzell’s long-history of manufacturing performance props for aircraft gives us a unique advantage engineering propellers for hovercraft, which are flown by pilots (as opposed to sea captains).

We congratulate our entire team on their achievement. They worked incredibly hard to make this certification come to fruition because they are determined to continue leading the world in propeller manufacturing (and, because we all think hovercraft are really cool).