Press Release

Issued by BLR Aerospace.

October 9, 2017

King Air 200 owner Andrew Birrell recently improved the performance of his BLR Aerospace Winglet System-equipped King Air 200 with the addition of a five-blade BLR Whisper Prop propeller, the company announced today. 

The Whisper Prop system delivered to Birrell was the 20,000th constant speed propeller manufactured by MT-Propeller of Atting, Germany; more than 2,000 of the propellers delivered to date have been five-blade turboprops. 

“We congratulate Andrew on his upgraded aircraft and MT-Propeller on this impressive milestone,” said BLR president Mike Carpenter. “The combination of Winglets and Whisper Prop is delivering powerful performance improvements to customers worldwide.” 

“The Whisper Props have been a revelation to me,” Birrell said. “Along with my other modifications, my King Air performs exceptionally. Takeoff acceleration is better than before, takeoff distance is shorter than before, climb performance is exceptional, and we seem to have picked up an additional three knots TAS in cruise.”

Birrell added that the Whisper Prop is noticeably quieter on the ground, and the cabin is noticeably quieter in the air. “The aircraft feels much smoother than before, with less airframe vibration, and the stopping power in Beta is improved. We are experiencing very rapid climb, in excess of 1,800 feet per minute above FL200. All in all, I am extremely impressed.” 

The lightweight, ultra-quiet Whisper Prop is a carbon fiber propeller with natural composite core that reduces vibration and provides a 30-50 percent reduction in noise, measured in dB, depending on frequency, when compared to the standard King Air 200 propeller. In conjunction with Winglets, the system also delivers runway length reductions up to 33 percent, as well as significant gains in useful load. 

Other benefits include access to shorter fields to reduce trip times, greater safety margins and dramatic improvements to maintenance requirements featuring a time between overhaul (TBO) of 3,600 hours and six years with unlimited blade life. When purchased together, the Winglets and propeller come with a certified Flight Manual Supplement verifying superior performance. 

BLR's Winglet System is an aluminum wing tip, carbon fiber winglet with integrated position, recognition and strobe LED lighting. The Winglet System increases overall wingspan and wing aspect ratio to reduce induced drag for faster flight on less fuel as well as improved handling qualities. More than 1,000 Winglet Systems are installed on King Air 90, 200 and 300 and Duke aircraft operating worldwide. 

BLR will exhibit its Winglets and Whisper Prop propeller products in Exhibit C10225 during NBAA's Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) Oct. 10-12 in Las Vegas.