ID this propeller in Ireland

[dp_burke]

Hello there, first time poster.

A lady contacted me to ask about his propeller that her father recovered from a crashed aircraft here in Ireland. He was an Irish policeman and this would explain why he would have had access to the crash site. The propeller is not from that aircraft, i.e. it was not its own propeller because the aircraft was a Boeing B-17. It is thus possible that the propeller I am posting photos of was being carried as cargo on the B-17 during its Ferry Flight, delivery to Europe.

I'll confirm the dimensions again with her but its a smaller two bladed wooden assembly.

The stamped part number or serial number on the hub appears to be

C1501.1115

and above that again there is 110-13 I think

The right hand blade is covered in a canvas cover, perhaps this was some form of factory protection cover?

I've no real clue about props so any clues would be greatfully received.

The B-17 crashed in December 1943 in Sligo in Ireland. The story of that crash is here on my website: http://skynet.ie/~dan/war/42-31420.htm

best regards

Dennis Burke
Sligo

[pmdec]

Hi,

Very often, people post modern propeller in the early section, and are disapointed to find them not so old... I'm afraid this will be the same for you, even if it is a "reverse" case: this prop seems English and from late WW1 (markings are, IMHO, G1501 N15[?]...[one or more lamination missing] and this would be typically English. "110-13[0]" is probably the engine power and it have to be another marking about the plane.
And so, it is very unlikely (but not impossible: returning a prop to its home?) it was in an B-17 coming from USA in the 40's...

But Bob will probably telle more about the prop.

Your PDF about the crash is very impressive. Did you made all the research by yourself?

Regards,
PM

[dp_burke]

hello PM

many thanks for the reply, this is completely outside my area of knowledge so thats good gen.

I've told the people who have this propeller to keep an eye on this thread so they can see the replies.

I did wonder if the C was a G.

The PDF file was compiled by myself, I had lots of input from people. Thanks for the kind words.

Dennis

[dp_burke]

it seems someone asked this question in 2007 on the forum, the G1501 found it on a google search!

its a pre world war two Avro 504 propeller.
http://woodenpropeller.com/forumvB/a...php/t-356.html

It is hard to see what an Avro 504 propeller would be doing on a B-17 coming FROM the USA to Europe in 1943. It was East bound, not west bound.

The Irish Air Corps did operate the Avro 504 prewar so unless there is some connection.

[Dave]

This is why we go around in circles sometimes. The identification information that makes it easy to identify is the drawing number "Y503", which was omitted in the original post and can be referenced on numerous databases.

The "G" and "N" numbers are production numbers, like serial numbers, and you were fortunate to be able to revert back to a post 6 years ago that linked the production number to the drawing number. Google works wonders sometimes . . .

[dp_burke]

Many thanks guys,

the last question I have is over that covering material on the right hand blade, is that some form of transport cover/protection cover while in stores.

Would these have been made by Avro themselves or another company?

Dennis

[Bob Gardner]

Dennis,

The batch nos 1501, 02 and 03 appear on scant evidence to all be for Avro 504 props, which implies a contract for three hundred props, there being one hundred props in each batch. Contracts let for nearby batch nos are from around 1919-1920, but some of these might have been open-ended and thus stretched to 1928 in some cases. The RAF probably indented for one or a few replacement Avro 504 props on an as-required basis. And Avro certainly made their own props at the start of the twenties.

The fabric on the blade, which was made from fine quality Irish Linen incidentally, protected the blade from erosion caused by dust, grass, twigs accelerated by the prop wash.

The RAF fleet of Avro 504 training aircraft was replaced around 1930 with the Avro Tutor. I imagine many of the Avro 504's were sold off to the civilian market. This might explain it's arrival in Sligo in Eire. Sligo was, I think, a well known centre of private flying in Eire between the wars? Was the Irish Air Corps in existence then? They might have bought 504's from England?

With kind regards,

Bob

[dp_burke]

The Irish Air Corps certainly operated six 504K during 1922 and 1932 and some of these met with sticky ends.

I'm not sure I would call Sligo an important center of flying in the pre war period, it did have a branch of the Irish Aero Club set up there in 1933. So maybe.

Thanks for the info on the linen.