Avoid prop breaks on belly landing

[Chelonian]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I also didn't want to start a new one on the exact same topic.

I have a belly lander tractor style FT Versa wing, and it seems almost every landing the prop gets a little white stress mark right near the hub. I never have had the prop spinning when it hit the ground, and the plane also isn't going very fast when it touches down. The prop I use is an extremely flexible 9x4.5 SF prop, so I don't think flexibility is the problem.

The other thing I'm wondering about is how long I should continue using a prop with stress marks on them. Do I need to throw them away immediately, or is it really nothing to worry about?

Thanks!

 

[Hai-Lee]

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but I also didn't want to start a new one on the exact same topic.

I have a belly lander tractor style FT Versa wing, and it seems almost every landing the prop gets a little white stress mark right near the hub. I never have had the prop spinning when it hit the ground, and the plane also isn't going very fast when it touches down. The prop I use is an extremely flexible 9x4.5 SF prop, so I don't think flexibility is the problem.

The other thing I'm wondering about is how long I should continue using a prop with stress marks on them. Do I need to throw them away immediately, or is it really nothing to worry about?

Thanks!

Manufacturers recommend that you never fly with a damaged prop no matter how minor the damage is. In reality we all put up with minor scrapes and notches in our props which appear from time to time. The ONLY warning I will give is NEVER used a damaged or stressed prop on a high KV motor or you can expect props to throw blades and the plane to be shaken so violently that it could fail structurally.

You can guess how I worked that one out.

If in doubt swap it out!

have fun!

 

[tglenn]

I just got a belly landing plane and it is my first plane that doesn't have landing gear and was wondering what I could do to stop the prop from breaking when belly landing. this is the plane, thanks.

https://hobbyking.com/en_us/durafly-efxtra-975mm-blue-pnf.html

I belly land almost exclusively with a lot of different planes and have never broken a 2 bladed prop....not by landing anyway.

 

[Arcfyre]

The prop I use is an extremely flexible 9x4.5 SF prop, so I don't think flexibility is the problem.

I also fly a tractor versa wing. I fly mine with a smaller 7x5E prop and an 1860 kV HK motor. Maybe if you try a smaller prop (if you're able to of course with your power set up) you'll have more luck, since a smaller prop doesn't flex as much when it hits the ground.