Hartzell Propeller has received FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval for its swept airfoil structural composite five-blade propeller to be installed on TBM 700/850 aircraft.

Hartzell already has taken orders for the propellers and deliveries to TBM owners are expected to begin shortly, company officials said. “Our new propeller design for the TBM turboprop results in faster takeoff acceleration, higher cruise speeds and better climb, along with less noise,” said Hartzell Propeller President Joe Brown.

With the new Hartzell propeller, the TBM’s takeoff acceleration from zero to 90 knots is 10% faster than with any other available propeller, he continued. The new propeller also provides for a couple hundred-feet-per-minute faster climb rate. Cruise is two knots faster than the Hartzell four-blade metal prop, and five knots faster than a less-advanced five-blade wood-based propeller option, he said. The new Hartzell five-blade prop is also quieter in the cabin and in the pattern, he added.

Hartzell’s proprietary resin-injected carbon fiber blades are five to 10 times stronger than beech wood and spruce construction. The thinner airfoil, which is possible due to carbon fiber’s greater strength, makes the improved TBM performance possible, company officials explain.

The new five-blade design features a composite wedge retention into its stainless steel alloy shank rather than the more rudimentary aluminum and lag screw construction used in other propellers, according to company officials. Hartzell incorporates a nickel erosion mesh and field replaceable nickel-cobalt erosion shield to prevent foreign object damage.

Hartzell offers the new prop with a “Plus 3” warranty, which covers the propeller for three years or 1,000 hours and a 3,600-hour/six-year TBO (Time Between Overhaul).