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  • Three unknown props

    Hello-

    I am the curator at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, TX and I am trying to do some research on a collection of wooden propellers we have on display, but that nobody seems to know anything about. Most of them came in decades ago, and were accessioned into the collection as Propeller, Wood. So, there is not much to go by on who made it or what type of aircraft it came off of. Thus, my begging assistance of all the fine knowledgeable folks on this forum.



    These are the three in question. They are part of a larger exhibit, of which we know the identities of the other two propellers.

    The top one, with the odd "serrated" metal cladding on the leading edges has no manufacturer's marking and is 8' in length Central bore is 3-1/4" and the bolts appear to be 3/8" on a radius of 3-1/4" from the center. The only markings on it are a unmber of !-1489 on one blade and 3259 on the other. Here's a picture of the hub:



    The center propeller has no manufacturers markings although there are a number of numbers stamped into it, including 561, 8 x 5, and SC17928. It has a length of 7'11-1/2" s central bore of 2-3/4", 3/8" bolts holes and the bolts are on a 3" radius from the center. Back in 1994, R.H. Wagner of Wag-Aero Group in Lyons, WI evaluated it as being of 1917-20 eara and most likely from a New York propeller company for a Hispano-Suisa powered aircraft.

    The bottom one has a little more information. It specifically says it is a Curtiss Propeller #764. It is 8'6" in length, has a 3" center bore, looks like the bolts are 1/2" or 5/8" and the bolt homes are on a 3-3/8" radius. Other numbers on the prop are 109-476-Standing-RRR-M-1600 and X14819. Hub pictured below.



    I am open to any help that anyone in the group can give us, as I hate to write signs that say, "Propeller, unknown manufacturer and type."

    All the best,

    Stewart W. Bailey
    Curator
    Lone Star Flight Museum

  • #2
    See if you can accurately compare the measurements to the numbers on this chart. You need to carefully measure the diameter of the circle on which the centers of the bolt holes sit. The most accurate way I've found for doing this is to put a 3/8" dowel in the holes opposite each other across the center bore then measure from the same edge (e.g. left side) on both of them.

    I suspect the middle one is from a Hall Scott A7A, commonly used on a Standard J1. See this page for a similar looking one. The hub dimensions and the length are the same, as is the geometry of the blades. The "SC" number indicates a Signal Corps identification, but it's more of a serial number than anything else. I suspect that Wag-Aero's time estimate is probably correct.

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    • #3
      Dbahnson-

      Thanks so much for the information. I will be heading out tot he floor to do some further measuring. I agree that the center prop is a good match for an A7A from a Standard J-1. Hopefully the measurements will confirm this.

      Again, I appreciate the help!

      Stewart

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