Found a Prop!

I have been searching for a prop for the Sky Cycle for some time.  The custom trike with the 340 Kawasaki engine simply did not produce enough thrust with the 58" 2 blade Powerfin prop and 2.5:1 reduction drive.

To increase thrust on the Sky Cycle I had the chassis built as light as possible, while adding a larger h.p. engine and a bigger reduction drive.  The final step was to get a larger prop.

As far as props go, there are a lot of options out there, IVOs, Ultra-Props, Powerfins, Warp Drives, etc.  One needs to decide on not only the brand, but the composition, diameter, and number of blades.  The final decision needs to be factored by the h.p. of the engine, ratio of the reduction drive and clearance between the prop, aircraft and ground. 

I decided to try to find a good used prop as new props with hubs and blades are quite expensive, while good used props can generally be found for 50% or less of new.  After a lot of searching I found a nice 64" 3 blade Warp Drive.  It is currently being shipped to me from Michigan and I should have it in about a week.

Three blades at a 64" diameter is pretty much the largest possible prop that the Kawasaki 440 can throw, given the 2.67:1 reduction drive and ground/aircraft clearance that I currently have.  It is quite possible that the prop may actually be a bit too large for my application.  I will not know until I pitch the blades and run it up.  If I am unable to get the 6200-6600 desired rpm's at wide open throttle I will have to make some adjustments.  I will either need to cut the blades down a bit in diameter, or purchase another hub so that I can run a 2 blade prop.

I am looking forward to testing it out.