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Experimental Aircraft Association June, 2017 (1st Edition)
Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania Volume 41, Number 06
Doylestown Airport (KDYL)
3879 Old Easton Rd.
Doylestown, PA 18902
Meets: Last Wed each of month (7:30 PM)
CHAPTER CHATTER
Chapter Number 78 Flying Through History
2017 FAA Funding Favors GA New Hartzell For The M600
A Congress-approved spending bill, which includes There’s another shiny option available for the Piper
FAA funding, has been signed by the President and M600. A new carbon composite Hartzell five-bladed
it’s looking unexpectedly good for general aviation. propeller—designed specifically for the M600—has
The bill gives the FAA $16.4 billion for the 2017 fiscal received FAA approval for use on the aircraft. The
year, fully funding key programs like contract design includes a stainless steel shank, nickel-cobalt
towers, the NextGen system, and alternative fuel leading edge, and mesh erosion screen for FOD
research. protection.
Perhaps surprisingly after all of the discussion of Piper claims the new prop will cut down the already
privatizing the air traffic control system, the bill low in-flight vibration in the M600, as well boost
includes language saying that removal of ATC from performance, although Piper hasn’t yet specified
government control is “fraught with risk, could lead those performance increases. A Piper competitor,
to uncontrollable cost increases to consumers, and Daher Aircraft, introduced a five-blade Hartzell
could ultimately harm users of and operators in the composite propeller option for new and existing TBM
system, including the flying public, the aviation 900 turboprops three years ago with much success.
community, FAA's workforce, and the small towns in
rural America that rely on access to the national air Hartzell says the advanced design of the carbon
space.”
composite propeller blades allows for an unlimited
life certification and makes them up to 10 times
Many GA oriented organizations, including AOPA, stronger than similar wood-core blades. The
GAMA, and NBAA, have commended the bill, which propeller is now being offered as a Piper factory
granted $508 million above the amount requested option on new M600 aircraft. No word on if it might
for 2017. be available at some point for the relatively small
fleet of existing M600s as an aftermarket upgrade.
