Whirlwind make a carbon 3 blade that weighs only 36lb, is apparently as smooth as the MT and has no speed penalty vs a 2 blade, but with better takeoff and climb. The risk with the Whirlwind is that it may not be as robust as say a Hartzell, but as with most products of any kind, you can find complaints and problems about any brand if you look hard enough.
They are plenty robust because of the electro-formed nickel leading edge. Jim Rust is a sharp both as an engineer and pilot and his props are better than other options for an RV. Technically advanced in how they are designed and manufactured, the hollow blades are made in a clever way and work well, like the leading edge.
You are correct to go with a hydraulic prop if your engine with run it. My O-320 has an electric prop and while it works as intended it has significant limitations, some of which affect safety unless used by a careful and knowledgeable operator.
IO390 wrote:
Ivoprop don’t make anything for Lycomings but personally I would only want hydraulic governed CS prop, not electric.
MT would be great then. But the lead time…
Do you need an electric de-icing? Yes, I know that this a/c is officially VFR only. :)
Edit: Hartzel was just recently bought by an equity firm: https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/hartzell-bought-by-equity-firm/
and I haven’t heard much about the third vendor…
It’s all academic now anyway because I’ve ordered and paid for the whirlwind last week :)
No deicing at all.
Silvaire wrote:
They are plenty robust because of the electro-formed nickel leading edge. Jim Rust is a sharp both as an engineer and pilot and his props are better than other options for an RV. Technically advanced in how they are designed and manufactured, the hollow blades are made in a clever way and work well.
That’s good to know. I didn’t know they were hollow, but they do seem to outperform the competition in speed, climb and weight. Lead time was also a BIG factor as mentioned in the previous post.
Electric CS is a reasonable compromise if you have no other choice but the slow actuation speed negates some of the advantages of a CS prop.
You look like you have a truckload of money to spend before Christmas 
I would have said an experimental electric CS prop like e-props or Duc but I don’t know much about it.
I would put the boxes you fiddle with the most at the bottom, for quicker access and not having your raised hand mask valuable information. Don’t know which ones in your case.
The G3X displays the AP information at the top of its screen anyway.
I would think twice before switching to a CS prop. I’m wondering why would you want to do that, especially if you have a light wooden one now.
I might think about a couple of reasons but please keep in mind that any alternative would be heavier and might change handling characteristics, not for the better I’m afraid.
Whirlwind would be my choice but at the same time I would look for ways to keep the W&B where it’s now.
Well, performance improvements from a constant speed prop in both takeoff/climb and cruise are considerable on an RV, given the large speed range.
My current prop, crush plate and spinner weighs 25lb so the whirlwind adds only 11lb. Governor may add say 5lb with the control cable. I need weight up front as my CG is too far aft to use baggage when I have a passenger.
The current empty weight is 1000lb, I expect the avionics to add no weight overall once the steam gauges and vacuum system are removed, so a finished empty weight of 1015-1020lb seems quite possible. Even with an O320 this will be nice and light when used with a constant speed prop.
I would think twice before switching to a CS prop
With a speed ratio of around 3.8 (see Van’s Comparison Table) a -6, as well as all non—Rotax powered models, begs for a CSP.
@RV14, are u happy to drive your car around in 2nd or 3rd gear the whole day?
No less than 2 RV-7s on my field have converted from FP to CSP this year, both of them stating: now it’s a different animal, yes, in a very positive way 
CS is also helpful for formation flying, because if you pull power the plane ‘goes backwards’ more readily.
An electric CS prop is slow in moving the blades, so on go-arounds you need to be careful not to overspeed the engine/prop at the same time as you are busy doing other critical things. I set my static RPM (i.e. finest blade angle) slightly lower than spec and have a precise go-around routine with the RPM control, both of which help… all suggested by guess who? (Jim of Whirlwind, who otherwise had nothing to do with my prop). A hydraulic prop is better.
Much better pitch stability with a CS prop. Plane is easier to fly.
