Identify Wooden Airplane Propellers
Wooden propellers were used in various aircraft until the development of metal blades post-World War I. Identification of wooden airplane propellers is a challenge since there is no authoritative study or documentation of the history of such propellers. There is, however, information about design elements that can help to establish a time category for a wooden airplane propeller. This information will lead to a list of manufacturers of wooden airplane propellers for that era. The manufacturer may have additional information that will identify an aircraft propeller.
Instructions
1. Determine which time period the propeller is from. There are two time periods used for classifying wooden airplane propellers: early and modern. The early wooden aircraft propeller includes the era of World War I craft. Post WWI wooden aircraft propellers are termed modern. Collectors lament that there were many different propellers that were made within short periods of time and many manufacturing records no longer exist. This makes it extremely difficult to identify many wooden propellers.
2. Look for design elements of early propellers. Some characteristics of early propellers are the length, type of wood, the bolt pattern, asymmetrical edges, and fabric covered tips. How these elements are combines in the prop construction and design varied greatly. These early props were generally over eight feet long and made of mahogany, oak, cherry, or walnut. There were eight bolts in the hub, and the blades were often offset. This offset pattern made the blades looked curved like a scimitar. The propeller on the Sopwith Pup designed in 1916 is an example of an early propeller. The Sopwith Pup is the first aircraft to land on a moving ship, the HMS Furious.
3. Look up information from early propeller manufacturers. Manufacturers that produced early wooden propellers were located in the United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany. The primary manufacturers in the United States were The American Propeller Co., Hartzell, and Curtiss. In Great Britain, Bristol and Royal Aircraft Factory are two of the companies. In France there was Chauviere and Eclair. In Germany there was Axial and Mercedes. These are just a few of the companies that produced early propellers.
4. Look for design elements common to modern wooden aircraft propellers. Collectors advise to look at common elements of these blades, like the length, bolt holes, lighter-colored wood, symmetrical blade design, metal edges, and design numbers. The modern era wooden prop included eight-foot propellers, but also included propellers that were as short as six feet. There were six bolt holes more often than eight, and the wood used was different than the early props. The woods used for modern props included ash, birch, and maple. The modern wooden props also had metal along the leading edge of the blade near the propeller hub. There is often a design number either on a blade or the hub.
5. Look up information with modern wooden propeller manufacturers. Some of these companies in the United States were Sensenich, Hartzell, G.B. Lewis, Gardner, and Univair. During this time period, metal propellers were developed and the production of wooden propellers decreased as metal propellers were used in modern aircraft.
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