Fahlin D718

[Falcon50]

I own a Fahlin D\718 3 blade LEFT HAND 62" diameter propeller (31" from center of hub to blade tip).

It has the following identification on it:

FAHLIN D\718
NO. 11394 H.P. 120
RPM 2600


It's been hanging on a wall inside of a home office for many years. It's in good condition, has not been restored, and has the original "patina" just as it was when it was removed from an airplane for the final time. It has a couple of chips/nicks on the trailing edge on two of the blades. The metal on the leading edges are in very good condition.

I'm very curious as to the provenance, what airplane(s) it was used on, its rarity (and yes even its value), etc...

From what "Googling" I've done, Fahlin 3 blade propellers seem to be very rare.

I'd especially like to find some photos of it mounted on an airplane(s) that it was used on, as I'd like to be able to print and frame it/them next to the propeller.

Thank you in advance for any information you can provide.

[Dbahnson]

It is quite rare, and I can't find any listing for that design number.

My only comment is that it's a left hand thread instead of the very common right hand thread. That's typically associated with a pusher engine or an engine that rotates counterclockwise when viewing from the rear of the engine (which may also occur with a geared engine). Although that may narrow down the possibilities, it still doesn't identify it or the airplane it may have been designed for. The bolt holes seem larger than the common aircraft engine hubs, so I also wonder if it might have been manufactured for an airboat or similar pusher configuration that isn't actually an airplane.

I also suspect that it had decals on it when it was manufactured and may have been refinished at some point.

[Falcon50]

Thank you very much for your response and information!

I suspect that if you as the site administrator doesn’t know much about this propeller, then I would presume that it’s pretty rare.

Would it be possible that the propeller being “left hand thread” would mean that it could’ve been used on a plane that had two engines: one left hand engine on one wing and one right hand engine on the other wing to offset the engine torque....?

Please keep me informed of anything else that you find!!!

I’m now even more intrigued about finding out more about this propeller.

[Dbahnson]

That's also a possibility, although it seems unlikely in this case. Three bladed props are indeed rare, partly because they are more difficult to construct. The complexities of manufacturing left and right hand props and re-working an engine to match make it seem really impractical. I've never even seen a photo of a 3 bladed prop mounted on an airplane, much less a twin with counter-rotating wooden props.

On top of all that, I think it was the Fahlin plant that had a massive fire that destroyed the records that might have helped research this kind of mystery.

[Falcon50]

If there’s anyone else that has any information regarding this propeller it would be greatly appreciated!!