44 inch prop ID help please

[jasong]

Dear fellow prop enthusiasts,

I have just acquired a 44 inch wooden prop and would like your help identifying it.

It is made from four layers of laminated wood, and has a six bolt hole configuration. There are no pressure marks in the wood, indicating it has never been mounted.

The varnish is highly "alligatored" which is consistent with other propellers in my collection from the 1930's and earlier, although the prop could be a bit more recent than this.

Unfortunately the markings are very indistinct. There is a number (A375 or 4375) stamped near the central hole, and a square stamp with what appears to be USA at the bottom, and a six character word ending in T at the top.

Any insight or guidance would be appreciated. I expect it may be from a drone of some kind, but this would be different from the commonly-seen red-tipped drone props around.

Cheers,

Jason

[Dbahnson]

I'm nearly certain that you are correct in your assumption that it was made for a drone, most likely a target drone. Various manufacturers made these by the hundreds or even thousands and most of them ended up as surplus and were sold off in large numbers.