Hartzell Updates Current Programs And New Prop Offerings

Hartzell President JJ Frigge briefed the press on company developments on Tuesday, July 23, at EAA AirVenture. He started with an update on last year’s acquisition of WhirlWind Propellers, citing the move as an opportunity for Hartzell to move more deeply into the experimental and unmanned markets. Frigge noted that the assets of WhirlWind are on the move from San Diego to Piqua, Ohio, Hartzell’s legacy base.

From there, he reviewed recent product innovation, including a new propeller dubbed the “Yukon” for the Cessna Caravan. The four-blade carbon-fiber scimitar prop decreases weight by 20 pounds (compared with a metal prop) and cuts takeoff distance by 25%. The three-blade “Polaris” prop for the Diamond DA40 NG not only increases cruise speed by 3 knots, but cuts noise output to 74 dB—an important consideration for a trainer.

For the experimental market, Hartzell has added its Carbon Blended Airfoil propeller (the company has a renaming contest for this propeller, with a goodie bag for any AirVenture attendee who comes up with a better name) that maintains the same performance gains as its all-metal prop with a savings of 20 pounds in weight.

Hartzell also cited its aerobatic-specific “Talon” prop for the Game Composites GB1 and its product innovation that has targeted Advanced Air Mobility with propellers designed for small autonomous aircraft and designs up to and including prospective small airliners.

Asked about efforts to contain pricing on replacement parts for existing propellers, Frigge acknowledged uncommonly high price increases in the past twelve months. He cited issues of inflationary factors that had gone unaddressed for some time and steep increases in prices from some of Hartzell’s suppliers as factors in the price increases.