Light Aircraft Association

A Woeful Tale of a Constant Speed Propeller overhaul.

So, the decision is made, the 3 blade MT prop has to go for overhaul, it's off the plane and goes into it's original “Toblerone” shipping box that I have kept all this time.

Three companies are authorised to overhaul MT propellers in the UK:-
Brinkleys Propeller Services Ltd., CFS Aeroproducts Ltd. and Proptech Ltd.
I contacted all three, but the conversation that I had with Proptech convinced me that they would do the best job. Proptech were the only ones to mention about the blade modification that MT had done in their 2011 Service Letter 22K which added an extra £426 + Vat. Also one company quoted a turn around of just 1 week which sounded a bit ambitious, but when Proptech quoted 28 to 30 days I queried the time, the answer was "we prefer to give a realistic estimate of time up front that we can stick to".

Here is an accurate, documented timeline on my propeller overhaul at Proptech, without embellishment.
I will leave you to form your own judgement on the quality of their service. It’s a bit heavy going, but persist.

14/04/2014 Email Quotation from Proptech stating:- £2400 + vat includes all standard O/H parts and Leading Edge replacement. If leading edge replacement not required, price to be reduced accordingly. MT Service Letter 22K additional £426 + vat. Total £2826 + vat =£3391.20. Standard turn around time is 28 - 30 CALENDAR days from receipt at Proptech.

15/04/2014 Email from Proptech:- Call ASAP about the transport of your prop, have some good news.

15/04/2014 Tel. call to Proptech:- Told that they will arrange collection with next day delivery into them, no charge.

15/04/2014 Email from Proptech:- Collection arranged for 16/04/2014

16/04/2014 Propeller collected:- Transport arranged by Proptech

17/04/2014 Tel call to Proptech:- Propeller not arrived!

18 - 21/04/2014 Easter Bank Holiday

22/04/2014 Tel. Call to Proptech:- Propeller not arrived!

23/04/2014 Email from Proptech :- Propeller received

28/04/2014 Email Status Report from Proptech:- Cost Estimate Due w/c 28/04

06/05/2014 Email Status Report from Proptech:- Cost Estimate Due w/c 05/05

14/05/2014 Tel. call to Proptech:- Cost Estimate being done. Inspection found marks on bearing races, will cost about £300 for 3. I asked for a written explanation from MT and Proptech as to why the races would be unserviceable after 250 hours careful use. Was told they would have another pair of eyes check the races. When asked how long to completion they said 10 days from acceptance of estimate.

15/05/2014 Email from Proptech:- Cost Estimate Received. No mention of £300 charge for new races but includes additional £311.29 for leading edge replacement.

15/04/2014 My Email sent:- Accepted Cost Estimate to avoid further delay.

15/05/2014 Proptech Email:- Invoice Received, £3744.11 includes extra £311.29 for 3 erosion sheath (leading edge). Queried, but paid to avoid delay.

16/05/2014 Payment arranged by bank transfer

16/05/2014 Proptech Email:- Confirmation of payment received

20/05/2014 Email Status Report:- Completion Date 09/06/2014

21/05/2014 Tel. call to Proptech:- Asked to speak to contact person. Not Available

21/05/2014 Tel. call from Proptech contact:- Complained about the completion date.
Reminded them of the "Realistic turn around time of 28 - 30 days". Also queried the Leading Edge charge again. They admitted there were problems and promised to look into it.

21/05/2014 Email from Proptech:- Apologies for error regarding leading edge charge of £311.29, requested bank details to arrange refund. No mention of completion date.

22/05/2014 Email from Proptech:- Credit note being arranged for £259.41

22/05/2014 Email to Proptech:- You have not refunded the £51.88 vat

22/05/2014 Email to Proptech CEO:- Complained about the poor service from Proptech. Included this timeline record to illustrate the problems.

22/05/2014 Email from Proptech CEO:- Apology and would investigate.

22/05/2014 Email from Proptech CEO:- Brought completion forward to 05/06/2014 using all available overtime. Offered 10% discount and promised to return propeller on their own transport free of charge.

23/05/2014 Email to Proptech CEO:- I asked why it will still take 14 days to complete "using all available overtime" when normal time from acceptance of cost estimate is only 10 days. No response!

23/05/2014 Email from Proptech:- Apologies, Credit being arranged for £51.88 Vat.

04/06/2014 Tel. call to Proptech:- Queried delivery, told arranged for the 5th. Also queried 10% discount. Told they would see to it.

04/06/2014 Email from Proptech:- Credit being arranged for 10% discount £374.51

05/06/2014 Propeller delivered:- Arrived on Proptech's own transport, in bubble wrap lashed with web straps on a wooden support. Annoying, when I had kept the original "Toblerone" shipping carton with its specific internal fittings for the propeller and shipped it to them in it.

06/06/2014 Email to Proptech:- Would like the carton returned!

06/06/2014 Received £374.51 discount

06/06/2014 Email from Proptech:- Apologies, carton to be delivered to me Monday 9th

09/06/2014 Propeller Carton Arrived! Finished with Proptech at last!


I have since found out through the RV forum, that I am not alone in having problems, the bearing race issue has been queried before and their explanation:- due to an inspector who was inexperienced on this product.

As I said, you form your own opinion. Meanwhile, has anyone else got a tale to tell? Hopefully this will save others from the hassle that I had, I only wish that someone had let me know what I was in for!

It's always a shame when people feel that they have to put posts like that on this type of forum. But in Jim's case , totally justified . I can only admire him for the restraint in which he appears to have shown throughout .
We all, via our hobby , support what is really just a cottage industry, albeit a multi-million pound one in some cases, and I don't think that this particular company is alone in its contemptuous treatment of the very people who supply the oxygen for the industry.
Not only was the original estimate slightly ambiguous, in both time and money terms , but the customers confidence is eroded further by the seemingly rather ambiguous capability of the inspector carrying out the task . 'Not very experienced on this type of product' . But quite happy to allow his mis-judgements to put an extra £300+ on poor old Jim's bill.
Then just when he thought it was over, the manufacturers custom made box does a disappearing act.
I am sure that being bubble wrapped and lashed to a pallet is adequate, but what better way is there to transport a precision piece of engineering, which you've paid for with your own hard earned, than to use the manufacturers own shipping spec.
To his credit, Jim has provided a chronological account of a series of events , without putting the knife in,,,,,,,,,He didn't need to .

To add some good news, a pilot on the RV forum has had contact with Martin Albrecht, the MD of MT Propeller in Germany. Apparently, he has suggested that on low hours propellers (less than 700 in six years) and if the blades look in good condition visually, then only the hub will need overhaul at a more reasonable cost of around 1200 Euros. The only other stipulation was that the Lag screws remain correctly torqued. That will have a dramatic affect on the costs of running a C/S prop. Any movement here would be welcome, as the overhaul costs of C/S propellers has been a real bone of contention for quite some time. It would be useful if the LAA could check this out and hopefully confirm it officially through the magazine.