ID Please?

[ahranis]

Found in my late fathers basement.
I was about to try to restore it. I then found your site and changed my mind.
I suspect that someone has done it allready before me.
No background history that I know.

length: 2,79 meters
number of bolt holes: 8


I cant be sure about the stamps...

Helics (Les ....- Paris) decal

Serie 550
No .(3?)203
MI
Cu 260
Sal
SFA (0?)

In the photos you can spot various unidendified signs at the hub.
It was a big thrill trying to match the readings to your sign list!

I am not interested in selling it. I would be happy knowing the type of plane
and approximately the year of manufacture.

Thank you anyways!

Geetings from Greece.

[pmdec]

Hi,

I think the decal is the one attached (Les Fils de Régy Frères - Paris - / HELICES RF).

The markings seem to be for a Salmson 2A2 aircraft fitted with a Canton-Unné Z9 engine, but the serial number 550 seems to be absent of known databases and the 350 was for AR1 or AR2 with 170 HP engine... So, it is a French interesting prop!

Could you:
- post pics of the two "flat" sides of the hub,
- confirm that the marking "M1" is on the same side that SERIE and N°?
- confirm that the marking on the opposite side is "c1"?
- post a very close up pic of the serial number,
- give the blade width (at the larger place which is around two third of the blade),
- try to know if the tip protection is made of pigskin or parchment.

Regards,
PM

EDIT: Replaced link by file for the decal.

[ahranis]

Well,

I am really thankful for yor quick and detailed responce!

- These are the new pics.

- The "M1" marking is indeed on the same side as Serie and No.

- About the opposite side, I reattach a pic of an unidendified mark (NF?) beside of a possible C1,
both spotted, next to a rectangular one (bottom right).

- The blade width is approximately 23 cm.

- I am not quite sure about the tip protection. The material is quite thin, hard
and transparent with follicles visible in places.

Again I am really thankful for your time and effort,

Nick

[ahranis]

more pics...

[ahranis]

last one

[ahranis]

P.S. The decal on your reply was not visible to me for some reason...

[pmdec]

Hi,

Thank you for the new pics. I have change my first post and I think the decal is now visible.

The marking Nf is for Noyer de France (Juglans regia), the wood used.
The possible "c1" have to be a lowercase C (at the opposite side, the "M1" is (and has to be) a capital M): it is the way to show that the prop has been repaired or modified.

I will look at your pics and try to find more details but I have to search in my papers...

Regards,
PM

[Dbahnson]

Found in my late fathers basement.
I was about to try to restore it. I then found your site and changed my mind.
I suspect that someone has done it allready before me.

It doesn't look "restored" to me, even though as PM says it may have been "modified" at some point, so it's a very nice collectible item as is.

I still have a similar prop used on the Salmson A2A. Now I'm wondering if mine was actually manufactured by Regy, although it's not apparent from markings on it. It does have a Regy "look" to it though, similar to yours.





Note the similarity (and differences) with a Regy prop for a Caudron:

[ahranis]

Yes, I've been in that page often since I spotted your site!

Now that my eye is "trained" a little bit more, I can spot more similarities and the differences...

Very beautiful and well preserved!

[ahranis]

Thank you pmdec...

[Dbahnson]

Now that I compare the Salmson propeller to the Caudron propeller I realize that ahranis' prop looks like a right hand thread, but photos of the Salmson show a left hand rotating prop with the Canton Une engine.

What am I missing here?

[pmdec]

Now that I compare the Salmson propeller to the Caudron propeller I realize that ahranis' prop looks like a right hand thread, but photos of the Salmson show a left hand rotating prop with the Canton Une engine.

What am I missing here?

Hi Dave, you are not missing anything, you are asking a very interesting question! I have still not found anything more specific about ahranis' prop... which have other strange details: the hub (pic DSC09733) and the assymetric aspect of blade feet on the intrados (...) side (pic DSC09732).

It doesn't look "restored" to me, even though as PM says it may have been "modified" at some point, so it's a very nice collectible item as is.

I still have a similar prop used on the Salmson A2A. Now I'm wondering if mine was actually manufactured by Regy, although it's not apparent from markings on it. It does have a Regy "look" to it though, similar to yours.

The "modification" shown by the stamps and the letters near them are from the WW1 era or just past it. IMHO, the only "restoration" I can see is a coat of transparent varnish added "recently", at least after the prop was not airworthy anymore.

And yes, Dave, your Serial 804 is a Régy design prop. You can find it in the Gorrell's papers, and from French archives this propeller was the best to fit on Salmson 2A2 with the CU Z9 engine. And it is left handed...

@ahranis: could I have a close up of the two (normally, 3) square stamps on the flat side of the hub? Perhaps there are also two numbers near them.

Regards,
PM

[ahranis]

there are actually three stamps.
Two on the one side and one on the other of the hub if I remember correctly.
As soon as I go home I will reply with the photos.

[ahranis]

I suspect that the " restoration" must be my fathers act.

[ahranis]

part1