Fewer Blades

Photo by MSgt. Paul Mann

A borrowed C-130H was returned to the 153rd Airlift Wing, the Wyoming Air National Guard unit in Cheyenne, on 24 February 2011 after six years of serving as a propeller testbed at Edwards AFB, California. This aircraft’s mechanical propeller control system was first replaced by an electronic system. In 2007, the aluminum four-bladed propellers on the aircraft were removed and replaced with the eight-bladed, composite NP2000 propeller used by the US Navy. The new props added thrust to the existing T56 engines on the Hercules and reduced vibration. The original props were reinstalled, but the electronic propeller control system was retained. The reconfigured aircraft will return to Edwards for additional data collection. The test program concludes in June 2011.