Biela 3 Blade Carbon Fiber (CF) Propellers
Biela Propellers are high quality propellers hand crafted in Poland. They have hollow blades, solid hubs, solid tips, and a hard, durable gelcoat finish. Biela props are some of the finest propellers in the world. The finish is impeccable. The shapes are scale like. The performance is wonderful.
- Choosing the Correct Propeller
- How to Install a Propeller
- General Comparison of Propeller Manufacturers
| Engine Size | Break-in Prop | Propeller Choices |
| .90 - .91 | 14x6 | 13x8, 15x6, 16x5 |
| 1.08 | 16x6 | 15x8, 18x5 |
| 1.20 | 16x8 | 16x10, 18x5, 18x6 |
| 1.50 | 18x6 | 18x8, 20x6 |
| 1.80 | 18x8 | 18x10, 20x6, 20x8, 22x6 |
| 2.00 | 20x8 | 18x10, 20x6, 20x10, 22x6 |
Prop Chart for 4-stroke Glow Engines
| Engine Size | Break-in Prop | Propeller Choices |
| .90 | 14x6 | 13x6, 14x8, 15x6, 16x6 |
| 1.20 | 16x6 | 14x8, 15x6, 15x8, 16x8, 17x6, 18x5, 18x6 |
| 1.60 | 18x6 | 15x6, 15x8, 16x8, 18x6, 18x8, 20x6 |
| 2.40 | 18x10 | 18x12, 20x8, 20x10 |
| 2.70 | 20x8 | 18x10, 18x12, 20x10 |
| 3.00 | 20x10 | 18x12, 20x10 |
Prop Chart for 2-stroke Gas Engines
| Engine Size | Break-in Prop | 2 Bladed Propeller Choices | 3 Bladed Propeller Choices | 4 Bladed Propeller Choices |
| 17cc | 14x6 | 13x6, 14x7 | NA | NA |
| 20cc | 16x8 | 15x10, 16x10, 17x8 | NA | NA |
| 26cc-28cc | 17x8 | 16x12,17x10, 18x8, 19x8 | 16x10 | 16x8 Mustang |
| 30cc-36cc | 18x8 | 18x8, 18x10, 19x8, 20x6 | 16x10, 17x10 | 16x8 Mustang,17x8 Mustang |
| 36cc-40cc | 20x8 | 18x10, 18x12, 20x10 | 18x10, 19x10 | 18x10 |
| 50-55cc | 20x10 | 18x12, 20x10, 22x8, 23x8 | 19x10, 20x10, 21x11.5 | 19x8 Mustang |
| 60cc | 22x10 | 20x12, 22x12, 23x10, 24x8 | 21x10 | 20x10 |
| 70cc | 24x8 | 24x10, 26x8 | 22x10, 22x12 | 22x10 |
| 80cc | 24x10 | 24x12, 26x10 | 22x12, 23x12, 24x10 | 22x10 |
| 85cc | 26x10 | 26x12, 27x10, 28x10N | 24x12, 25x10, 25x12 | 22x10 |
| 100cc | 26x10 | 26x12, 27x10, 28x10 | 25x10, 25x12 | 24x10 |
| 111cc | 26x10 | 26x12, 27x10, 28x10 | 25x12, 26x12 | 24x10 |
| 120cc | 26x10 | 26x12, 27x10, 28x10 | 25x12, 26x12 | 24x10 |
| 150cc | 30x10 | 30x12, 32x10, 32x12 | 28x12, 28.5x12 | 26x10 Mustang |
| 160cc | 32x10 | 30x12, 32x12 | 28.5x12, 29x12 | NA |
| 170cc | 32x10 | 32x12, 33x11 | 29x12, 30x12 | NA |
| 200cc 4 cyl | 32x12 | 32x12 | 30x12, 31x12 | NA |
| 210cc | 34x12 | 34x14, 35x10, 35x12, 36x12 | 31x12, 32x12 | NA |
| 222cc 4 cyl | 32x12 | 32x14, 33x11 | 31x12 | NA |
| 320cc 4 cyl | 36x12 | 36x16, 39x12 | 34x10, 34x12 | NA |
| 420cc 4 cyl | 39x12 | 36x18, 38x16 | 36x16 | NA |
Prop Chart for 4-stroke Radial Engines
| Engine Size | Break-in Prop | 2 Blade Propeller Choices | 3 Blade Propeller Choices | 4 Blade Propeller Choices |
| 150cc | 26x16 | 28x12, 30x10 | 26x14, 27x10 | 23x14, 24x10 |
| 215cc | 32x12 | 32x14, 32x18 | 32x12, 32x14 | 28x14, 28x16 |
| 250cc | 32x14 | 32x18, 32x22 | 32x14, 32x16 | 28x16, 28x18 |
| 400cc | 40x22 | 40x22 | 36x16 | NA |
| 800cc | 48x22 | 50x22 | 40x26 | NA |
General Propellers:
Break-in propellers will lightly load the engine. During the first few hours of running a new engine there is more friction between the piston, piston ring, and cylinder wall as well as all other moving components like bearings. During this time it is important to keep the heat down in the engine due to other factors such as running a large prop and flying at low airspeeds or hovering. If you don't break in the engine properly, it will never perform well. Using a small prop and keeping the plane moving is best. For gas engines, do not break-in the engine on the ground. Make sure the engine runs reliably first! This can take as long as is required, but don't run the engine on the ground in an effort to break it in. There is not enough air to cool the engine. Glow engines have 20% oil in the fuel which cools the engine tremendously. Gas engines don't use a lot of oil, so they need really big cooling fins. That's the main reason gas engines are so heavy, they need much bigger cooling fins than glow engines do. Use a petroleum based oil for break in, then switch to the more slippery synthetic oils later. Synthetics are too slippery and don't allow the parts to wear in quickly so compression will be low which causes poor idle, transition and top end power.
Keep in mind the following!
Balance the prop. Yes, they should be factory balanced, but are you going to take their word for it? Remember balancing the hub is not a big concern. Put the heavy side of the prop down when the piston is at the top so that it acts like a counterweight. Many engine manufacturers use too small of a counterweight to keep the overall weight of the engine down. The prop can help. Don't tighten the prop so much that you crush it. Neither wood nor CF can hold up to over tightening. When the prop starts to crush, you are tightening it too much. Check the prop after the first flight, and if it is loose, check it after every flight until it needs no further tightening. All that vibration will seat the prop. If the prop is loose, it is not good!
Drilling holes in the prop for the 2, 4, 5 or whatever screws can weaken the prop. The prop can fly apart, so don't let anyone stand in front or to the side of the prop when running the engine. If you run the engine in a garage, it might go right through your Ferrari, so it's best to run in out of doors. Don't throw anything into the engine (like a rag) to kill it. You could do serious damage.
If the prop has tip damage, you can sand the damage off and make it even in some cases. Balance the prop when you are finished. If the prop is wood, and it is split, discard the prop. Don't let the spinner cone contact the prop. It will gouge it.
When installing your prop, special techniques must be employed. Just tightening up the prop bolts one time won't do it! You will lose your prop on the second or third flight otherwise! When you lose your prop, you lose your spinner too!! Check out the video of a prop coming off in flight. Go to the video page.
Proper procedure for tightening prop bolts:
1) Obtain thin steel washers and place them under the heads of the socket head screws. The heads of the socket head screws without the washers will gall the aluminum thrust washer and will prevent full tightening of the socket head screws.
2) Tighten the screws a little at a time. Tightening one screw as much as possible without the others being tight will cause uneven pressure on the thrust washer hub. Tighten one screw some, then go to the screw 180 degrees from it and tighten that screw. Go around and around several times. Don't overtighten so that you crush the prop.
3) Fly the plane for 5 minutes. You can leave off the spinner cone (of course have the backplate in place).
4) Land the plane and retighten all the prop bolts. (Not too tight!)
5) Fly a standard length flight.
6) Retighten all the prop bolts
7) Fly one more time
8) Retighten all the prop bolts. If they don't move this time (they should not). Then you have two options: a) leave it alone or b) remove one screw at a time, put on some very light thread locking compound (not too strong!), and reinstall the screws one at a time. It is not necessary to use thread locking compound, but if you lost a prop before and now you are jaded, this is your extra insurance.
9) Check the bolts every once in awhile, though the prop should never loosen if you followed the above procedure.
- Wood
- TBM
- Xoar
- Bambula
- MSC
- ZDZ
- Composite
- APC
- Carbon Fiber
- Mejzlik
- PT-Models
- Biela
- ZM
WARNING - Gasoline and Turbine powered R/C model aircraft are not manufactured to withstand unlimited G's. Any R/C model aircraft can fail, be it a wing folding up or a fuselage breaking in half under too high of a load. Just as any full size aircraft, model R/C aircraft have a maximum G rating. Because you are not in the plane flying it and experiencing the G's and reading the G-meter, it is more difficult to judge the G's on the aircraft, and it is very easy to exceed the limits of the aircraft. Understand that if you perform a snap roll, parachute, wall, blender, knife edge loop, or pull hard on the elevator at almost any speed, you can be putting in excess of 15 G's, even in excess of 30 G's, and most aircraft can only designed to take 10-12 G's. If you perform any violent maneuver, you can break your plane. When I perform hard maneuvers, especially for the first time on an airframe, I am prepared for a failure and am prepared for it as best I can be. This mainly includes performing the maneuver far enough away from spectators that in event of a failure that I am not endangering others. In addition, be prepared for the manufacturer to not pay for a new airframe which is broken during flight. It is common practice for any manufacturer to not replace an airframe which breaks in the air or upon landing. I have only seen manufacturers replace airframes when they have received many of the same failures and the manufacturer determines that there was a design or manufacturing error. If you break an airframe, and you are the only one to do so, then it is probably not the fault of the manufacturer. Please fly safely, and avoid full throttle operation other than at low airspeeds.
R/C model jets, warbirds, aerobatic planes and UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to name a few are not a toy! If misused, it can cause serious bodily harm and property damage. Fly only in open areas, and AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) approved flying sites. Follow all manufacturer instructions included with your plane, radio, servo's, batteries and engine. Aircraft manufacturers guarantees each kit to be free from defects in both material and workmanship at the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover any component assembled by the customer. All parts of high stress must be inspected and reinforced if necessary by a competent builder. Some parts should be glued again. High stress areas such as firewalls, motor boxes, wing mounts, landing gear mounts, etc., are areas of high concern. Seek help if necessary. In not case shall TBM be liable for the cost of any product it offers which is not manufactured by TBM. The liability to the manufacturer cannot exceed the original cost of the purchased item. Further, TBM reserves the right to change or modify this warranty without notice. In that TBM has no control over the final assembly or materials used for final assembly, no liability shall be assumed nor accepted for any damage resulting from the use by the user of the final user-assembled product. By the act of using the user assembled product, the user accepts all resulting liability. The kit manufacturers have provided you with a top quality, thoroughly tested kit and instructions, but ultimately the quality and fly ability of your finished model depends on how you build it; therefore, we cannot in any way guarantee the performance of your completed model, and no representations are expressed or implied as to the performance or safety of your completed model. It is the user's responsibility to inspect each component for worthiness.


