Hello Remi,
I should say up-front that I have a commercial interest as I
manufacture the constant speed controller that is used with the
Arplast PV50 (www.smartavionics.com). However, that doesn't stop me
having an opinion on the PV50!
> I would like to know how happy you are with those props.
Overall, I am very happy with the PV50.
> My criteria are : reliability/safety, performance, maintenance
> requirements.
As far as I am aware, there are no safety issues with the PV50. The
only reliability issue that I know of is that some people have had to
replace the PV50 pitch change motor because it failed.
Performance is certainly very good with my 912. Maintenance
requirements are minimal (grease leadscrew once in a while).
> Is the Arplast smoother than the Airmaster ?
I have never been in an aircraft fitted with an Airmaster so I can't
compare directly but I used to have a Warp Drive fixed pitch prop and
I would say that the Arplast is definitely smoother than the Warp
drive.
> What about erosion of the blade when flying the Arplast in rain ?
This touches on the PV50s weakest area which is that it has no leading
edge protection. I have not had any problems with rain erosion but
stones are a big problem. I have therefore fitted leading edge
protection tape to my propeller to help stop the dings.
> Please mention your prop flight time.
About 100 hours on this prop and probably similar on a previous PV50
that I was careless enough to break!
In terms of value for money, I don't think there is much of a
contest. Unless you need the fully-feathering ability of the
Airmaster, the PV50/CSC-1 combination provides more features at a
lower cost and lower weight.
I hope this is useful,
Mark
PS To save David Joyce the effort, I should mention that the Woodcomp
(Kremen) is a very good alternative that deserves serious
consideration. Again, much better value than the Airmaster.
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