Maintenance and Modifications
MT Flight Tests an 11-blade Propeller
MT-Propeller has flight tested an 11-bladed propeller on a Piper PA-31T Cheyenne twin turboprop.
Piper Cheyenne mounted with MT-Propeller's 11-bladed propeller
MT-Propeller said this 11-bladed prop produced a 15 percent increase in static thrust over a standard, certified five-bladed propeller. (Photo: MT-Propeller)

MT-Propeller recently flight-tested what it said is a world’s first: an 11-blade propeller. Mounted to the right-hand Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-135A turboprop engine on a Piper PA-31T Cheyenne, the initial flight test this fall showed “very promising results,” according to the Germany-headquartered OEM.

Those results included a 15 percent increase in static thrust over a standard, certified five-blade propeller. “This propeller system combined with a low RPM power supply from a turbine or an electric engine opens new possibilities for performance, efficiency, and noise,” the company said.