4 blade mahogany prop, circa 1917

[John Donlon]

Gentlemen,
I know nothing more about this propeller than what is clearly marked on the hub and that it left a large debit in my bank account:

D.H.4.
A.B. 686
275.H.P.R.R.
R.H.
D.2850. P.3600
B&P. No. 15621

Is it possible, from your experience, that a propeller can be tracked back through to the history of the plane it came from and what that planes role in the war was?

Thanks for any of your information.

Warmly,

- John Donlon

[Dave]

All you are likely to find out about it is that it was fitted for a (British built) DH4 with a 275 HP Rolls Royce engine. Unless you happened to stumble across a log book documenting the serial number of the prop, you won't find any information about the specific airplane, and I doubt that there would have even been a written entry of the propeller number back then. Propellers were damaged frequently and replaced routinely, without much fanfare.

[John Donlon]

Thank you for your advice Dave.
It has a neat value to me from an eduactional and historical point of view.
Any thoughts on interpreting the nomenclature stamped on hub?
Are the serial numbers sequential so that I could estimate a intro to service date for this piece?
I'd love to find out more about these log books!
- John

[Bob Gardner]

Hi John,

D.H.4. indicates an Airco DH4, so called because de Havilland designed it.

A.B. 686; this is the drg no which indicates an Air Board design for a RH engine; AB685 was for a LH rotation engine. Yours should have red bands on the blade bases to indicate RH rotation.

275.H.P.R.R. a 275hp Rolls Royce Falcon engine.

R.H. the rotation.

D.2850. P.3600 diameter and pitch in mm.

B&P. No. 15621 indicates that the maker of the prop was Boulton & Paul.

With regards,

Bob Gardner
www.aeroclocks.com