38 AIR CLASSICS/August 2022
THE NEXT
GENERATION
WHY WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO
HELP THE NEXT PERSON IN LINEhe would like to follow his
father and do automotive
body and fender repair. However, at age
17 Rudy found himself newly-married
and the father of a son. He needed a
job to support the family. Eduardo
Enriques was a friend of Rudy’s and
he worked at Santa Monica Propeller
so the suggestion was made that Rudy
go to work balancing propellers. Rudy
started this task in 1979, working as
a blade grinder refinishing props for
small general aviation aircraft. He
liked the task and reasoned that the
metal work was sufficiently similar to
his vision of auto body repair. In 1981,
Rudy moved to California Propellers
in North Hollywood to expand his
responsibilities and make more money.
Also, the prop blades were much
larger and hence there was much more
to learn. Shop supervisor Donald
Sakamoto specialized in Hamilton
Standard props. In 1983, Donald took
Rudy under supervision and started
investing his time in teaching Rudy the
arcane art of blade straightening.
By the late 1980s, Donald retired
but the shop started receiving inquiriesD
o you remember the feelings from
the first time you saw an absolutely
stunning work of art? A piece where the
feeling of beauty, form, and function
were realized... perhaps the Mona Lisa
in the Louvre, or Michelangelo’s ceiling
in the Sistine Chapel, or the lines of a
Beech Staggerwing. I few years ago, I
got those same feelings after spending
a couple hours with Rodolfo “Rudy”
Serabin at WestPac Propeller Services in
Colorado Springs. Rudy is a rare artist
of metal, form, and function and that
equates to an unusual find in today’s
modern aviation world of disposable
parts replacement. Equipment is no
longer fixed — it is tossed in the garbage
and a new replacement part is slotted
in to take its place. But what do you do
when replacement propeller parts or
blades can no longer be found? Then,
Rudy is your man. He is the fixer as well
as being a pure artist. Rudy’s secret is
that working on propellers is not a job.
Rather, it is a hobby that he loves.
Rudy did not plan on being a
propeller man. Originally, he thoughtabout C-130 prop blade repair.
The C-130 propeller manufacturer
empathically stated that all Hercules
blades were to be repaired only by the
manufacturer. However, Rudy advised
California Propellers that the shop had
all the skills and equipment to repair
the big Hercules blades. They became
so proficient at this task that the shop
started doing work for outside parties,
including Standard Aero of Canada, and
Rudy became foreman for all the big
prop blades.
During 2005, Rudy and his
supervisor from California Propellers
were ready for a change and they joined
WestPac Propeller Services in Rialto,
California, so they could work on
Warbird propellers. Two years later,
Rudy was in charge of the entire shop,
including complete propeller assembly
and operation. In 2008, WestPac moved
to Colorado Springs where the company
is a fully authorized FAA propeller
overhaul facility. Rudy enjoys the steady
pace of work, the beauty of Colorado,
and being away from the hectic world of
southern California.
Rudy’s favorite Warbird propeller
is the Hamilton Standard unit found
on the P-51D Mustang. The blades are
temperamental and demand very tight
tolerances to work best and not vibrate.
Everything must be perfect, including
face alignment, blade angles, and
balance plugs. This is Rudy’s art and he
loves the challenge.
Rudy finds that most original
Mustang blades — including those
newly manufactured by Avia in
Czechoslovakia — require some blade
straightening along with the following
steps:- Stripping paint, inspecting
for damage, and taking blade
measurements.
BY MARK BINGHAMHere is an interesting wartime photo of a Mustang from the 359th Fighter Squadron, 356th
Fighter Group. The USAAF serial 44-11564 identifies this aircraft as a Dallas-built P-51K
but the fighter is fitted with a Hamilton Standard propeller rather than the Aeroproducts
unit installed on production Ks. It seems that certain pilots and crew chiefs favored the
Hamilton Standard prop and would swap out the Aeroproducts prop. Many Mustangs had
numerous such personal touches and it will be noted this aircraft has a Spitfire rear view
mirror mounted on the windscreen that can barely be seen in front of the crew chief.