somewhereupthere
Well-Known Member
Anyone here have experience with the Raisbeck EPIC (Dual aft body strakes + Sweptblade Turbofan Props + 10500# MGW) package on a PT6A-135A powered C90A or C90B?
Please PM me if so.
Please PM me if so.
Raisbeck Sweptblade Turbofan Props
Cessnaflyer
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
We have the full package on a 200 with Blackhawk -61's. What info are you looking for?
somewhereupthere
Well-Known Member
Did you operate your aircraft with stock -42, -52 or -61 before the sweptblade props?
I'm looking for real world comparison of the EPIC package versus stock.
I operate a C90Bxp (PT6A-135A powered, with 4 bladed Hartzell D8990SK props).
Our props are due for overhaul (3rd time around) in February and we're considering upgrading instead of doing overhaul, or overhaul/exchange, for same make/model of our current props. We figure if we're gonna spend the money, why not spend a little more and get something that adds value and performance to the airplane.
We want to know how the real world, actual experience performance numbers compare to what Raisbeck provides.
Do you really see a major improvement in runway performance, climb performance, cruise speed, landing distance, and cabin quietness and comfort.
Remember we're not test pilots (some of us aren't anyway) and we're just trying to get a feel of how the package really performs when flown by non test pilots. Does it really do what Raisbeck says it does?
Thanks!
Roger Roger
Paid to sleep, fly for fun
Dat ramp presence tho.
Cessnaflyer
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
One thing we have different is that we went with the Raisbeck paddle props so unfortunately that is the one thing that I can't comment on. From our experience though we have met all the performance claims of Raisbeck and Blackhawk. We would probably do even better if we didn't have the high float gear. Our CFO ran the numbers a few different ways and the BLR winglets and swept prop didn't pan out in the cost to benefit.
z987k
Well-Known Member
Ah, turboprop props.
Roger Roger
Paid to sleep, fly for fun
But ramp presence! (Sorry to repeat myself, I just find it hilarious that basically "it looks hella awesome" but wrapped up in dignified terminology is essentially one of the selling points).
somewhereupthere
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info. One thing we're looking at is the residual value at Aircraft resale.
Our props are coming due for 3rd overhaul and the concern is blade dimension, and that we have 1 hub which is original to the airframe.
Currently we have 6 options, 2 being the Sweptblade at 2 different shops, one in FPR and the other TPA.
The owner does not want the 3-4 weeks downtime to overhaul our current props, so that leaves us overhaul/exchange ($12.5k per side plus any major component replacement on our cores, capped at 37.5k per side), Outright purchase of 1 time, overhauled props (37.5k per side) and sell our cores for scrap value (3.5k-5k per side), or outright purchase of 1, 1 time and 1, 2 time, overhauled props (22.5k per side) and sell our cores for above scrap value, or do the Raisbeck Sweptblade EPIC package at about 110k, and hope when owner goes to sell airplane in a year or two he can get 50% residual value, which is a crap-shoot, but if he looks at it that way then that brings cost down to south of 60k, which then makes sense, on paper.
We'll see.
Decision on this to be made in November, and R&R of props in February.
If we end up with EPIC package I will post back to this thread to report the performance improvements.
Thanks again.