Background Information

I am an avid collector of early (pre-1920) wooden propellers. As a woodworker and as a commercially rated pilot (but an orthopedic surgeon by profession), I have come to appreciate the graceful balance of craftsmanship and science in the development of the propeller as a machine and as a work of art. As works of art, original propellers should be protected, preserved and appreciated by future generations. My personal propeller collection is a means to this end. I hope others are able to share in this hobby, and I am optimistic that this website will help to serve as a resource for the exchange of information useful to others who share the same interest. Although my personal interest is almost exclusively the earlier propellers, I have tried to include information that may be useful to those interested in later models as well.

One of my major goals is to establish a comprehensive listing of propellers by drawing number to facilitate easy identification of the many propellers that are still in existence. My research into this area has involved the National Air and Space Museum, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and many other museums and aviation organizations. While I have been able to collect some listings by drawing number, it is highly incomplete, and there were literally thousands of variations in design and sizes, making precise identification now difficult. I encourage anyone who may have useful resource material such as catalogs, manufacturing descriptions, parts lists or other materials to please contact me.

As a collector, I am always interested in acquiring additional propellers in original condition, and I welcome any inquiries to that effect.

I anticipate that this site will undergo multiple and perhaps frequent revisions. As new material is made available to me, new categories and additional features will be added. True to this prediciton (made 3 years ago) in January, 2006, I added a Wooden Propeller Forum feature to the web site. It pools the resources of several individuals with knowledge in the field and allows open discussion on the web. While I have enjoyed answering literally thousands of email inquiries over the past 3 years, it will be nice to do that in a public format, and have help in the process.

Finallly, if you find this information on this web site helpful, please support it by linking to it from your aviation related site.

Dave Bahnson
(March, 2003)
(rev. Jan, 2006)