Cessna Skyhawks equipped with Centurion diesel engines, a retrofit installation recently offered as a part of Redbird Flight Simulations’ Redhawk conversion and Premier Aircraft Sales’ Skyhawk upgrade program, can now get another upgrade, which promises better climb rates and faster speeds. The FAA has signed off on a supplemental type certificate that allows for the installation of Hartzell’s three-bladed Bantam carbon fiber propeller for the diesel-powered Skyhawk.
Hartzell claims the new propeller will produce a 15-percent faster acceleration rate, a three-knot increase in cruise speed at power settings between 75 percent and max power, and an improved climb rate of 50 to 75 feet per minute. The new installation weighs 35.3 pounds, including the composite spinner. The carbon fiber material used in the propeller allows for the construction of a thinner blade with a wider chord compared with the previous wood-core propellers installed on the Skyhawk, Hartzell said.
The new propeller is available through Hartzell’s Top Prop performance conversion program and includes a three-year or 1,000-hour warranty. Pricing is assessed on an individual basis, said Hartzell’s executive vice president JJ Frigge.
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