A prop strike can feel like a single, obvious problem: the prop hit something, so the prop must be the issue. Sometimes that ...

When spiffy, high-tech, high-performance propellers go into the prop shop, they’re carefully restored to their original shape with sophisticated, computerized propeller repair tools, right? Well, no.

“My dad’s propellers were always getting nicked and out of balance,” Cooley remembered. “He would have to drive two hours to drop them off someplace and then wait two weeks for them to be repaired.” ...