Christmas came early this year, and I got exactly what I wanted. A new prop! American Propeller did a great job getting it painted and assembled, and it was waiting for me when I got home.

Let me tell you, these guys did not want this thing getting damaged in shipping! I think they wrapped it in Kryptonite, it was so hard to get into… They wrapped it in Styrofoam, then plastic, then cardboard, then put each blade into a box, and inserted plastic bags which were then filled with expanding foam to encase the prop in about 6″ of foam on every side. In fact, it was so tough to get in, I only exposed one blade tip for now to get a picture, and I’ll do the rest when we move it to the shop on the airport for mounting. I’ve elected to have a pro do the engine conversion, even though I understand it’s about a 2 hour job if you have the right tools to get the plugs out of the crankshaft and mount the governor.

Our Catto has been a great blade, and we’ll have it reconditioned and keep it as a spare in case our new MT ever has to go home (to Germany) for extended service or overhaul. The Velocity is fast and flies wonderfully on the Catto, and it’s all you really need out here in the low flat lands of Ohio, but the MT will give us a lot better utility. We’ve always been a bit leary of short runways or really hot or near gross take-offs, and the MT will also help slow and steepen a sloppy approach. Check out the pictures.