GSC Peeling

[CoClimber]

I recently purchased a Mk2 that has been sitting for years. This is my first Kitfox and my first plane whatsoever so I am proceeding carefully. All three blades of the prop have sections where the coating is coming off the wood. Can I sand these areas down and re-varnish them? I understand that there are better propellers but one step at a time. I also need to get my PPL...
22346

[Av8r_Sed]

Welcome to the forums. There’s a lot of great information here.

GSC wooden blades are known to have a 5 year lifetime. That’s not to say that people haven’t gone much longer with them. There must be a reason for that dramatic of a varnish failure though, and I would guess it has to do with moisture.

Best advice is to contact GSC in Canada and see what they advise.

[CoClimber]

The other way to go seems to be to get the IVO Ultralight prop. $740 for the three blade sounds reasonable. This is powered by a 582 grey head. I have not determined the gearbox yet. Thoughts?

[jonstark]

Refinishing the GSC is no big deal but you can’t make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
I ran one for the 40 hours of my Phase 1 and it worked okay. But just okay. I lucked out and found a nearly new, three blade, ultralight IVO and have installed it with VERY good results. Be aware though that the three blade ultralight is NOT RECOMMENDED by IVO for the Rotax 582 due to potential resonance from power pulses. IVO has issued a Service Letter indicating that it must be regularly inspected and re-torqued. IVO recommends their Medium two blade for use on the 582.

jon

[CoClimber]

And this is why I love this forum. Okay, now we are at $1000 but I'm kind of a fan of safety. I think it might be a while before the airplane is ready to see the skies so I can budget for this and all the other things I will need.

[avidflyer]

The other way to go seems to be to get the IVO Ultralight prop. $740 for the three blade sounds reasonable. This is powered by a 582 grey head. I have not determined the gearbox yet. Thoughts?

The gear box would most likely be a B, C or E gear box. The E gear box has a built in electric starter on it. The B box is much smaller then the C or E. Here are pictures of the B and C boxes. The one with the blue background is a B box. JImChuk
https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.vK3NZtXlKEgHg9vVes4YvwHaHa&w=110&h=110&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&dpr=1.25&pid=3.1&rm=2
(https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=rotax+b+gear+box+picture&id=A25D52CFCEADB3F3CD8D1F46D6385AAB07AF0ECB&FORM=IQFRBA)https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.QfP8nlemlQA3bi9rrGmaQQHaFk&w=145&h=109&c=8&rs=1&qlt=90&dpr=1.25&pid=3.1&rm=2
(https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=rotax+c+gear+box+picture&id=0A4F8559DE387A6F651D2634D2384606DD15EA7B&FORM=IQFRBA)

[CoClimber]

Based on those photos, I think I have a B gearbox. Is the gear ratio marked on it? I will examine it closely this evening.

[avidflyer]

Most common gear ratio for a B box is 2.58-1. 2-1 and 2.24-1 were available as well. There is actually a 3-1 gear set according to my older LEAF catalog. There is a note on that page saying it is limited to maximum of 40 HP. Doubtful that you have that set. Never heard of anyone having one. I was told they were only sold in Europe. JImChuk