December 2015Q: Hi Steve,I’m the proud second owner of a 1978 Cessna R182. I bought it from the guy in the next hangar. He was very proud of his airplane and had spent many an hour down at the airport washing and polishing it.Unfortunately for him—but fortunately for me—he only flew it on days with perfect weather. The sky had to be absolutely cloud-free and the wind speeds had to be below five knots. Total time on the airframe and engine is 1,322 hours which averages out to 36 hours a year.During my first annual, my mechanic suggested that I install a mod that changes the routing of the prop governor control cable. He said the original routing is dangerous.I took a look, but can’t figure out what he’s concerned about. Can you explain?—Retractable Rob.
A: Hi Rob,Your mechanic is correct. Cessna routed the prop control cable on the 1978 and 1979 R and TR 182s under the cylinders on the left side of the engine before securing the outer housing to the forward side of the cylinder baffle on number-two cylinder.That baffle has a tendency to crack.
If the cracks progress, the possibility exists for the housing to become unanchored. When that happens, the housing will drop down due to its weight—and the prop control cable attached to governor arm that controls engine rpm will also drop down.These changes to the housing and prop control cable cause the engine rpm to change dramatically and the engine will immediately slow way down. This will immediately drive up the manifold pressure and scare the bejesus out of you and your passengers.Cessna service kit SK182-75A is available for around $2,500 to change the routing of the prop control cable so it runs above the cylinders. A search of the internet shows that Air Power, Inc., Broadie’s Aircraft Parts and Yingling Aviation all stock this service kit.The revised routing increases the smoothness of prop rpm control and extends the life of the cable. The prop governor has to be reconfigured to accommodate the cable rerouting.Happy flying.Know your FAR/AIM and check with your mechanic before starting any work.Steve Ells has been an A&P/IA for 43 years and is a commercial pilot with instrument and multi-engine ratings. Ells also loves utility and bush-style airplanes and operations.
He’s a former tech rep and editor for Cessna Pilots Association and served as associate editor for AOPA Pilot until 2008. Ells is the owner of Ells Aviation (EllsAviation.com) and lives in Templeton, Calif. With his wife Audrey.
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XP-82 First FlightOn 31 December 2018,our XP-82 Twin Mustang flew for the first time since 14 December 1949. Although it wasn’t supposed to fly yesterday, all that was planned to do was the last FAA required runway high-speed taxi test, lift off for a second or two and then back down, deploy full flaps and brake to a stop. It accelerated so fast after the planned lift off that Ray, our test pilot, realized that getting it back down and stopping it in the remaining runway would be marginal.
So he pushed the power back up and flew for about five minutes.The unexpected and dramatic acceleration of our XP-82 at 55 inches of manifold pressure occurred because it was approaching three times the horsepower of a single engine Mustang and one and a half times the weight. The XP-82 has 1860 hp each side for total of 3720 hp, compared to 1500 hp for the P-51. Our XP-82 weighs approximately only 1 1/2 times more than a P-51 - 14,700 lbs. Compared to 9500 lbs. For the P-51.The very short gear-down flight showed zero airframe squawks, hands-off no trim required, with all engine temps and pressures normal.This wonderful test flight came after a 10.5 year restoration encompassing 207,000 labor hours.
Many thanks to Ray Fowler, our test pilot and all of the men and women that made this restoration possible.GerdYour propellers are as smooth as glass, they come up to 3000 rpm on take-off and control throughout all ranges perfectly.Thank you for your support.Tom Reilly. Dear MT!Here are 2 videos and a photo illustrating the awesomeness of your 5 blade composite props on a KA B200 with Blackhawk engine upgrades.N826WG tail number.The photo was taken at level flight, 290 knts, 28500 ft. We can hear the pilots taking now and they can hear us.We did a ton of noise level measurements that we can send if you want the data.
We did the recordings with both a dosimeter as well my iPhone using Decibel X Pro (app) from multiple positions onboard, including the cockpit (before and after installing your props).Long story shortened, your props reduce the ambient noise level in the cabin from 7-9 dB on the “A” scale. Huge difference.Love them!David. Jetstream 31, MT Propeller TestimonialNorthwestern Air Lease Ltd. Has converted our Jetstream 31 to MT propellers and is extremely pleased with the result.We have found that there is a significant reduction in the noise levels in the cabin and outside the aircraft. Passengers can carry out a normal conversation in the aircraft.
Cessna 150 Propeller Installation Diagram
The response of the propellers to changes is much quicker with the MT propellers, when pilots select reverse and with the application of power the response is much more positive. We feel that we are seeing a lower fuel consumption and a slight increase in speed with the MT propellers. I would not hesitate to recommend the MT propellers to any operators.Both the manufacturer, MT Propellers Entwicklung Gmb in Germany and AMK Aviation Inc., the dealer in Ontario have provided outstanding technical support, advice on operating these props and maintenance training.
We are very impressed by the support by both the manufacturer and the dealer. We are looking at converting the rest of our fleet as soon as possible.Brian HarroldPilot / AMEOwnerNorthwestern Air Lease Ltd.