Lewis sanding the hub on a propeller—Day 3 of the task—meant for a Lycoming engine. The business: Culver Props specializes in making custom, fixed-pitch, two-blade, wood propellers.

An aerobatic airplane has either a fixed-pitch or constant-speed propeller. The pitch of the blades is the angle at which they “bite” into the air. On airplanes with a fixed-pitch propeller ...