convinced that I may be over propped. (64 x 78 3-blade Performance

prop).

I could only get 4800 to 5000 rpm's both in climb and in cruise. I
throttled back to 4400 and the cruise speed was rather
disappointing at 140 knots with the gear still down.

I nosed her over slightly and IAS quickly went up to 180 knots, and
flight controls felt positive with no slop in the controls.  Engine ran
smoothly

Vaughn Mann wrote:

Paul,

I agree with Paul L and everyone else.  I have exactly the same prop from
Clarke and it is
extremely smooth on my Lyc O-360 (180 hp) and it has no problem developing
the power/speed/rpm.  Your plane is much more efficient in the air (when the
gear gets snatched up) and will see well over 180 kts.  Your induction right
now is the same as half throttle or less.  After you get that straightened
out then call Clarke and he can help you fine tune the prop to achieve what
ever desired rpm for WOT or cruise by just removing a small amount of the
cord off of the prop.  You're just not producing the full power potential
right now.  You may already know, but keep a torque check on that prop as
suggested by Clarke and then every time there is major weather (season)
change or you fly into different weather and remain there for several weeks.
Wood props can be ruined in a heart beat form improper or lack of proper
torque.  The inertia weight is much less than metal also and upping the idle
is a good idea unless it starts to affect landing distance.  An alternative
would be a harmonic balancer to increase inertia.

Congratulations BTW on first flights!

Vaughn in Knoxville TN

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