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u/TADiff82

r/AviationHistory r/AircraftMechanics
Image 1 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
Image 2 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
Image 3 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
Image 4 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
Image 5 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
Image 6 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
Image 7 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
Image 8 — Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?
▲ 5 r/AviationHistory+1 crossposts

Any idea on the manufacturer or aircraft that used this propeller?

This is probably a shot in the dark... This propeller is an older example that is made entirely of a phenolic based composite. From what I could find by researching, there appears to have been two primary manufacturers of a phenolic based propeller in the early 1900's:

  • Westinghouse Corporation. They produced propellers out of "micarta," which evidently was the material of choice for the first successful non-stop trans-Pacific flight from California to Hawaii in 1929.
  • Hartzell produced propellers out of "hartzite," essentially their version of a phenolic based propeller. Their development in this arena was largely in the late 1940s. Examples of Hartzite propellers usually show interchanging layers of light and dark tan colors of fabric (due to the way the impregnated fabric/canvas was laid/oriented before it was "cured"). The orientation of the substrate affected its durability/performance and is described in their patent.

I was informed that this piece was part of a large lot that was auctioned off from a now-closed USA aviation museum. Some visual specs/observations:

  • Total length is ~61.375"
  • Shank has a ~3.35" diameter
  • Black canvas phenolic based (compared to all Westinghouse or Hartzell phenolic propellers I've come across that is brown/tan based).
  • No signs of any identification numbers. Perhaps it was on the very base of the shank and was worn off?

Perhaps its black color and lack of identification was because it was used in R&D as a prototype propeller?

u/TADiff82 — 10 days ago