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I am on a bit of a quest to learn more information about an antique wooden propeller with a special story and I sincerely hope someone here could be of some assistance. Could you help me confirm whether the propeller described below is a Hartzell, and if so, provide any additional information?
Said propeller has been passed down from my grandfather to my father to me and I have been trying to learn more about its background. I believe it may be a Hartzell, drawing no. 586 (originally for the Liberty 12 600 hp. engine on a Douglas World Cruiser) based on the "586" stamp.
The story I have been told is that Mr. Basil York, a pilot for the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) nicked the propeller upon a landing in 1925 (you can see the minor symmetrical damage in the photos) and was stranded for a few days until a replacement could be driven to Alcoa’s plant in Bauxite, Arkansas. During this time, he stayed with my grandfather and is how he ended up with the souvenir. I have done some research on Mr. York and later in life, he was a flying instructor for many of the Army's early pilots training in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for WWII and Korea. He is mentioned in the book Burning the Days by James Salter:
Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Pics:
Thanks!
Said propeller has been passed down from my grandfather to my father to me and I have been trying to learn more about its background. I believe it may be a Hartzell, drawing no. 586 (originally for the Liberty 12 600 hp. engine on a Douglas World Cruiser) based on the "586" stamp.
The story I have been told is that Mr. Basil York, a pilot for the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) nicked the propeller upon a landing in 1925 (you can see the minor symmetrical damage in the photos) and was stranded for a few days until a replacement could be driven to Alcoa’s plant in Bauxite, Arkansas. During this time, he stayed with my grandfather and is how he ended up with the souvenir. I have done some research on Mr. York and later in life, he was a flying instructor for many of the Army's early pilots training in Pine Bluff, Arkansas for WWII and Korea. He is mentioned in the book Burning the Days by James Salter:
In winter 1944, [Salter] and other cadets took a physical examination ...to see who would qualify for pilot training… The following spring, he was sent to flight training. He wound up in Pine Bluff, Ark., where he was taught to fly by "an ancient, perhaps in his forties, crop duster . . . His name was Basil York."
It is a bit of a family mystery. My father was a private pilot and treasured this propeller. I would love to be able to confirm its origins and ideally identify the type of plane on which it was likely used. I have done much searching online, looking for similar photos and cannot find one with the right shape and cladding. I'm assuming by the bolt holes that it may have been re-drilled to fit a different engine than its original, but that's a guess on my part. Any assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Pics:
Thanks!
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