308cm 121 inch wood propeller, 9 bolt holes

[carien]

Can anyone tell me where this 308 cm long wooden propeller, fixed-pitch, 2 blade with brass tips propeller comes from. What aircraft?

[Dbahnson]

Are there any other markings or any decals on it?

I'm guessing that it's of German manufacture, and if so Bob Gardner would be the one to help on narrowing it down. The nine hole hub narrows it down, as does the length.

[carien]

Thanks for the reply! Is Bob on this forum?

[Dbahnson]

Yes, and he has been a huge resource here. He just doesn't check in every day.

Bob has written six excellent books on British propellers and four equally valuable texts on German props.

[carien]

thats great, Thanks again!!
And to your earlier question, those are the only markings we could find on the propeller. We were thinking it might be of a de Havilland, and are indeed hoping that the 9 hole and size will be the answer.....

[Dbahnson]

Well it looks like it's been refinished, so decals from a manufacturer could have been removed. The stampings likely represent diameter, pitch, and serial number. Since 308cm corresponds to the "D" in the stampings I presume the "H" refers to the pitch. "H" would not be the German word for pitch so if you know "pitch" in other languages that might be a good clue as to its country of origin. If you go by this chart it would look like Serbia would be the most likely candidate, but that chart doesn't match with German either (which is usually "S", "ST" or "Stg"), so maybe the word "pitch" as it refers to the screw angle of a propeller is different in some languages.

It's very unlikely to be for a DeHavilland, as most all British props from that era had standardized stampings that don't resemble the stampings on yours.

[carien]

Mmm, can’t think of any language where the H stands for pitch...
Inwas hoping the 9 hole bolts would be a dead-give-away combined with size...

[pmdec]

Hi,

Hældning is the word for slope in Danish: Perhaps it is the same word for the pitch of a propeller.
As the word for Diameter is the same and the word for Number is Nummer, the markings could be Danish.

Regards,
PM

[carien]

Mm, ok thanks!

[Bob Gardner]

Your propeller was very probably made by the leading German prop maker, Hugo Heine.

German prop data was stamped into the wood of the hub, as yours is. The letter D indicated Durchmesser which translates as diameter. The pitch of the propeller (which is the theoretical distance one rotation of the airscrew will move the aircraft through the air) is described as ST for Steigung. Heine props were marked ST from c1912 to c1915 when some were stamped H instead of ST. I don't know why, nor what H indicated but I have only seen it used on a few late-war Heine propellers.

The highest Heine serial number I have recorded during WW1 is 31888.

The first post-war Heine prop that I have recorded is 36917. For some time after WW1, a few years, known serial numbers of Heine props were only made for British aero-engines made by Rolls-Royce, Liberty and Napier. It was not until serial 43656 that a prop is recorded with a German aero-engine, here the BMW 4 of 230ps.

Your serial number, 36732, is now the earliest post war Heine serial number that I have recorded.

The diameter of your prop, 3080mm, and the pitch of 1650mm are rare. I can't identify a specific aero engine or aircraft which would require such dimensions but a BMW 4 engine is a possibility.

So, in conclusion: your prop was made by Hugo Heine at the start of the renewed production of civilian aircraft in Germany, c1925.

I'm sorry for writing such a lengthy reply. I didn't have the time to write a shorter one (attributed to Marcel Proust c1920)

[carien]

Thank you so much for your lenghtly reply! No need to be sorry at all!
I think it’s a great plus to know where it came from! Thanks for the great explanation and your time!
Kind regards