Widgeon prop

[tatmech]

We found an old wood Sensenich prop hanging on an office building at our air taxi. It has been there for many years and no one knows its history.
Part Number W82RS72 S/n ending in 2965.
The prop seems to be a Grumman G-44 Widgeon prop from a ranger engine. I am hoping to identify which aircraft this prop was installed on. If it was one of the Alaska pioneers of aviation who lived here in Talkeetna Alaska we would like to know. Please respond with any ideas for tracking down the history of this prop.

[Dbahnson]

I think the only way to associate it with a specific aircraft is find (as in "stumble upon") the airframe/engine logbooks for that plane. To my knowledge there would be no other record held by Sensenich that would have identified the plane. Even a sales receipt is unlikely to help unless it connected to a chain of documentation leading to the aircraft logs.

We tend to think of propellers as an integral part of the aircraft history when in fact they were more like tires on an automobile. You had to have one that fit and they frequently were replaced due to damage and/or wear.

[tatmech]

yes, I figured as much. We are trying to track down the few aircraft that were here. they should still be flying. If we can find them we can ask the owners to check their logs.

[Dbahnson]

You list the serial number as "ending in" 2965. What precedes that? It could be important with respect to when the prop was manufactured, which might help you narrow down your search considerably (although I think the "W" prefix in the model number means that it was manufactured some time after Sensenich began making props.

[tatmech]

Yes, i was unable to read the entire serial number from the picture but will take another look at the prop today and update the number if possible