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I have been meaning to produce a warning for fellow forumites for some time about a prop which is often referred to on eBay etc as from a Zeppelin airship.
A Dutchman recently asked me about them and my answer is copied below.
British target tugs towed a target behind them for fighter aircraft to shoot at. A propeller was lowered from the fuselage to generate electicity for the winch. Several of these come to market each year. They are often described as a generator propeller from a German Airship.
It is a propeller from a British RAF target tug. It might date from late WW2 but probably it is more modern than that. 1950s to 1980s.
It was lowered from the fuselage of the tug-aircraft to provide electric power for the winch which could let out (and recover) up to 1000m of cable with the target on the end. It was mainly used for fighter aircraft training where a number of aircraft took it in turns to fire at it. (You can see why the cable was so long !). Each aircraft had its bullets dabbed with a different colour, so individual scores could be calculated. It was also used to provide a target for RAF and Army troops on the ground.
They often appear on eBay as generator fans from a German WW1 airship which is nonsense. Airships travelled at very slow speed and the airflow would be insufficient to provide much electricity. And airships had multiple engines, often four, from which electricity was generated.
With kind regards,
Bob
A Dutchman recently asked me about them and my answer is copied below.
British target tugs towed a target behind them for fighter aircraft to shoot at. A propeller was lowered from the fuselage to generate electicity for the winch. Several of these come to market each year. They are often described as a generator propeller from a German Airship.
It is a propeller from a British RAF target tug. It might date from late WW2 but probably it is more modern than that. 1950s to 1980s.
It was lowered from the fuselage of the tug-aircraft to provide electric power for the winch which could let out (and recover) up to 1000m of cable with the target on the end. It was mainly used for fighter aircraft training where a number of aircraft took it in turns to fire at it. (You can see why the cable was so long !). Each aircraft had its bullets dabbed with a different colour, so individual scores could be calculated. It was also used to provide a target for RAF and Army troops on the ground.
They often appear on eBay as generator fans from a German WW1 airship which is nonsense. Airships travelled at very slow speed and the airflow would be insufficient to provide much electricity. And airships had multiple engines, often four, from which electricity was generated.
With kind regards,
Bob
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