Cessna 182 owners may now be able to get a smoother, quieter ride by converting to a newly STC’d Top Prop propeller kit from Hartzell. The company claims this new three-bladed, scimitar-shaped propeller improves takeoff and climb performance without degrading cruise speed, reduces noise by 2.5 dB(a) compared to the stock propeller, and increases the TBO to 2,400 hours.
Hartzell’s Top Prop blends different airfoil designs along the blade. The midsection of the blade is designed to maximize low-speed thrust while the tips are optimized to reduce noise levels.
While smoothness cannot be measured, Hartzell customer and Cessna 182 owner Jim Higgins from Tuscola, Illinois, says: “Probably the best improvement is the smoothness of the ride. I could no longer feel vibration in my seat.”
The new propeller kit includes a pointed, polished aluminum spinner and is available for Cessna 182 models through the 182R. The kit is part of the Top Prop family, which has received STCs for more than 70 Cessna, Piper, Diamond, Mooney, Commander and Socata models. Hartzell has delivered more than 18,000 Top Prop conversion kits.
