Identifying my new prop

[simonblaine]

Hello,

I recently received this prop, I am hoping to get a bit more info about it and it's history.

It is an American Propeller Manufacturing Co Paragon prop, it is 104 inches long, (8ft7in), has 8 bolt holes, has the numbers 2345 and the letters FOR on the hub.

Anything you could provide would be helpful, I am amazed by the history of aviation and want a bit of a story to tell people when they see the prop.

[Dave]

It's part of a 4-blade combination that was almost certainly used on a Liberty engine on one of the many Navy flying boats developed at the end of WW1. The thin hub and the notch you see on the rear of the blade indicates that it was designed to interlock with a 2nd blade. I think you'll find that the hub dimensions are consistent with a Liberty engine.

The Navy had literally thousands of these in storage at the end of WW1 and put them up for sale as surplus in the early twenties, mostly due to obsolescence.

To my knowledge there is no way to positively identify it as applicable to a specific model aircraft, and in all likelihood it was never actually mounted on one.

Despite the absence of the second blade it is in great original condition and should not be refinished or restored in any way.

The stamped letters are actually "F. C. R.", and I'd love to know what they indicate, as they are found on many propellers from that era.

[simonblaine]

Thanks for that,

I did get 2 newspaper article with the propeller, both written about a Canadian named Harry Falconer McLean, an eccentric railroad magnate and philanthropist, I believe the prop had some connection to him, but I am still trying to find out the details. Not sure of the whereabouts of the other prop, the gentleman I got the prop from said he took one, his friend took the other, but his friend has since passed away and he has no idea of what happened to the it. Anyway, here is some info on Harry Falconer McLean if you care to read. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Falconer_McLean

[Dave]

If you ever locate the mated propeller (confirmed by consecutive serial numbers) your combination would be very rare and quite valuable, especially if they have weathered the separation more or less equally.

If you can post a close up of the hub, or look very carefully for evidence of indentation created by the metal compression plate in the hub assembly, so called "witness marks" indicate actual mounting of the prop. Most of these were held in storage, never used and went up for sale on the surplus market. There are several 1920's aviation publications advertising them for sale for $2 to $5 each, depending on type and presence of metal sheathing.

Please keep us posted on anything you uncover in your search.