Avro 504 prop?

[flyernzl]

This last weekend I was shown what appears to be a vintage aircraft propeller. The person who holds it got it from another chap who claims it is a propeller off 'a World War 1 Avro' - presumably a 504.
I took some measurements and photographs of this item, which is currently mounted on a wall. It was apparently found underwater, so all markings have been erased by the process of time - probably by sand abrasion. The measurements (I only had a metric tape with me) are
Overall length tip to tip 2730mm
Diameter of hub 200mm
Thickness of hub 145mm
Width of blade at widest point 230mm
There are 8 bolts in the hub, and 6 laminations of timber in the blades.





The item was said to be found at Tauranga Bay, in New Zealand's Northland area - see map below. This could possibly make sense for a 504K relic, as there are two potential sources:
- The New Zealand Flying School (Walsh Brothers & Dexter) operated 504L seaplanes in the Northland area in the time period 1920 - 1924.
- Les Brake, an itinerant joyriding pilot operated an ex-NZPAF 504K off beaches in Northland 1931 - 1933.

Any identification/feedback on the above welcome.

[Dave]

There were several different models of the 504 using different engines. None of the ones I have listed used propellers of 2730 mm, but several (notably the Gnome 100 hp and the Clerget 110 and 130) list props of 2740mm diameter.

I think your best bet from here is to go to this page about hub dimensions then go to the chart on that page and see if you can narrow down the engine used.

I think the "K" model 504 just used the Clerget engine with a 2740mm prop. A loss of 10mm in length after being submerged and dried out might be a good possibility, though.

In the long run, though, without the drawing number stamped on the hub it's usually just an educated guess.