Any info on this prop?

[Darracq]

Just wondering if anyone can id this. No visible markings

[Dave]

It's almost certainly not an airplane propeller, or at least one for a certificated aircraft.

[D.Hicklin]

mystery blade?

Bearing in mind that the post was from down under, and its possible that it was some local manufacture, it could be a prop from a small wind generator, or possibly from a windrow device, but taking into consideration the climate there, I cant really see the need for a windrow to keep frost off of plants at night. I do agree with Dave that its NOT an aircraft related prop. As ever, always amazed at what shows up on this site.

Sincerely,
J. Dennis Hicklin
Seattle Washington.

[MWP_Lamar]

So Dennis, are you a dealer for the Minneapolis Moline air tractor? What a useful device!

Lamar

[D.Hicklin]

the reality of the MM

Hey Lamar. Well its like this, I have a small one man show t-shirt company, and I do graphic design on the side. I have been most fortunate to have the t-shirt concession out at the seaplane base on lake winnebago during the annual gathering at Oshkosh Wisconsin, this will be year 23 for me attending. I was raised around the aviation industry and have been associated with all things mechanical since I was a kid. Long story short, I did this design a number of years ago for a friend that sells used helicopter parts, he used to specialize in Hiller Soloy conversions. The original design was very simular only a quick and dirty grease pencil poster with Alfred E. Nuemans picture from mad magazine and it said INTREX helicopter parts, what me worry? The birthday party that was held for my friend, all of his helicopter friends totally got it and said, that needs to be a real shirt design. So I had to totally do it all over again in pen and ink and what you see if the product that I run out of each year.

Just so you know what you are looking at, is as follows. The front engine is a B-17 engine and nacell, the rotar head is from an aerospatiale " lama ", the cockpit is from an airtractor aerial applicator, the tail rotar is from a bell jet ranger III, the tractor itself is an actual MM model " U " for the word universal. It satisfys the agricultural industry and it satifys the rotar heads, and it satisfys the the rest of the crowd that loves all of the above industrys. You would be surprized at how many of these shirts I have sold over the years that brings a smile to a lot of faces.

And to answer the next question, sadly I am out of stock right now, so perhaps after the show at Oshkosh this summer, funds will be back up and possibly some can be reprinted in time for christmas.

Thanks for your observation of my slightly skewed warped sense of aviation humor.

Sincerely,
J. Dennis Hicklin
Seattle Washington

[MWP_Lamar]

How cool! Have you ever considered putting up a website with your designs for sale by mail order? Many people (including me) love Tees.

Lamar

[D.Hicklin]

cheshire grin !!!!!!!!

Hey Lamar, I wish I had a nickle for every e mail or dispatch I get from a myriad of people from around the planet that ask me the exact same question, so you are among great friends that are like junkies that cant wait to get another fix from thier favorite dealer as it were. I love t- shirts as well, its an endless form of publishing that if done well can be a very powerful force out there for a variety of different reasons.

I have the distinct pleasure of knowing that in a small humble way, I have this rare god given talent of perspective and knowing how to have fun with high quality graphics done by hand in the old school fashion that only those that can recognize it and can appreciate it. None of my stuff is done by computer, its all from slides I have shot then projected by me on cheap ass lecture paper ( 33" x 27" ) that is pure junk and and I do it in pencil first and then painstakingly go back over every line with pen and ink and make it look real. The forced perspective is via the 24 MM wide angle lense that is a 2.8 on my trusty old olympus OM 1 SLR, which is now fully and totally obsolete. Film is deader than dead, Kodak is bankrupt and enter the new realm of HDR photography, staring a soon to be bought brand new high end NIKON D-700 wirth a couple of lenses that I prefer, the 24 MM wide angle 2.8 and the 70mm-210 mm 2.8 zoom lens. And the lenses are from old school era of 20 years ago that are superior to new nikon glass as well.

Check out the website for Barb Cochran on her HDR website, she is easy to find online and she is an airplane person as well. Check out the detail on the aerocar and the AT-6 in the hanger. NO ONE can paint that well, its virtually impossible, and I am friends with Sam Lyons who in my opinion is about as good as it gets from a true free hand artist.

Long story short, I will be doing some work in the future with new gear and new high tech lessons to be learned, and I will be printing high end images of various machines on my shirts at Oshkosh out at the seaplane base. I will be doing images on shirts that are 4 color process that are derived from my original HDR photography and I assure you, in a few years when I retire from tugboats and truck driving, there will be one kick ass website that will have the coolest and finest t-shirts that will tear your optical nerve out while still being influenced from the 20s 30s 40s and some 50s.

New and old being bold on 100% preshrunk cotton shirts. Be patient my friend, the good stuff is coming, all things are possible through speed and dilligence. ( yeah sure ) !

Sincerely,
J. Dennis Hicklin
Seattle Washington