AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2023 - 40

BRIEFING
- 90,000 blades in service
- 28,000 propeller systems flying
- best repairability of any blade
in the industry
- after FOD/ground strike up to
25% of the blade can be rebuilt
- no new hub required after
ground strike
- unlimited blade life
- more than 220 STCs worldwide
available
-best weight to price in industry
Cessna 206 PT6A with 5-blade Propeller MTV-5
FLY GREEN - FLY MT
MT-Propeller USA, Inc.
Phone: (386)736-7762, Fax: (386)736-7696
info@mt-propellerusa.com
MT-Propeller Headquarters
Phone: +49-9429-94090
Fax: +49-9429-8432
sales@mt-propeller.com
www.mt-propeller.com
It's easy for your old
bird to become a hero.
WHEN HE'S NOT FLYING, wrenching on
airplanes, or taking photos, pilot and
light sport aircraft mechanic Tim
Loehrke is busy making aviation artwork
out of everyday items.
A few years ago, the Piper J-3
owner earned a light sport aircraft
repairman certificate to cushion
income that might be disrupted in
the struggling publishing industry,
which he had called
home for more than 30
years. Working with
his hands ignited a
passion for creativity
that combined the
mechanics of aviation
with an eye for art.
A visit to the retired
Wings of Hope's Airplane
Donation Program
Give your plane a higher
purpose by donating it
to Wings of Hope. Your
plane, even if it is no longer
airworthy, can play an
essential role in our mission
of changing and saving
lives through the power
of aviation. Our donation
process is easy and the tax
benefits are significant.
wingsofhope.ngo
Questions? Contact Mike Piccirilli
at 314-705-9250
or mike.piccirilli@wingsofhope.ngo.
40
AOPA PILOT / May 2023
USA Today photo
editor 's basement
workshop reveals birdhouses
pieced together
from old license plates,
spark plugs, gears, and
beer caps that result in unique designs.
The birdhouses hang from the ceiling
amid RC aircraft, kites, and various
aviation parts.
" It all started with a metal piece I
did for a pilot friend, " said Loehrke.
The garden weathervanes,
windmills, and whirlygigs represent
some of his favorite general aviation
aircraft, complete with spinning
propellers and period-correct paint
schemes. The Northern Virginiabased
pilot sells some of his creations
on the digital platform Etsy where 2-D
weathervanes-basically fuselages
without wings and fronted by a
spinning propeller-are $200. More
complicated 3-D models with wings
and tail surfaces sell for $400.
An American Champion Aircraft
Super Decathlon likeness sports a
fanned rudder scheme. A yellow
Piper J-3 accented by a black lightning
bolt side stripe is reminiscent of
the real thing. A grey-on-white twinengine
HondaJet recently made an
appearance beside a float-equipped
Cessna 180 weathervane, windmill,
and whirligig.
Creative solutions
LSA mechanic designs custom aviation yard art
BY DAVID TULIS
PEOPLE /
Loehrke said requests for custom
designs have taken off since the winter
holidays. " I've been selling them like
crazy. Almost all of my stuff now is
custom. People will look on the Etsy
site, send me photos of their airplane,
and then we talk through what they
want. One customer even modified an
old windmill to mount my weathervane
and whirligig atop it. "
When he's not fabricating aviation
yard art, Loehrke is in demand for LSA
condition inspections on fixed-wing,
powered parachute, and weight shift
aircraft categories; and he is a Rotaxcertified
mechanic. He also performs
maintenance and inspections on
ultralights. david.tulis@aopa.org
etsy.com/shop/timloehrkecreations
TIM LOEHRKE
http://www.mt-propeller.com http://wingsofhope.ngo http://www.etsy.com/shop/timloehrkecreations
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2023

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