Wooden Propeller info assistance

[BAC]

I found this propeller in my Grandfather's attic shortly after he passed away many years ago. He was a lifelong pilot (private and commercial) and worked for the FAA in his later years prior to retiring in the late 70's. He was an avid RC modeler, tinkerer and aviation buff, so we discovered multiple aviation related items while cleaning out his home when preparing to sell the property.

We assumed everything had very little actual value, and only kept many of the items for sentimental reasons. I totally forgot I even had all of these items until this afternoon when I found everything hidden under a blanket in my own attic after 12 years, and just wanted to see if I could get some background on the prop itself? It is probably going on the wall in my Mancave and will be a great conversation piece, especially if I know more about it.

After some quick research on the web, I think I have narrowed this down to possibly being a Sensenich prop, but that is as far as I have gotten, and is based solely on appearance similarities to other prop photos I ran across. There are a few markings on the hub, but parts of the number/identifier were rubbed away by the flange, so I don't have a whole lot to go on because there are no other markings that I can make out.

I have attached multiple pictures, and can provide more if anyone would like some specific shots/angles. I can also provide any other descriptions if needed. It seems like it is in decent shape, and possibly still all original, but I am far from an expert. Reaching out to this group to get your thoughts.

70" total length, 6" hub diameter, 3.25" hub thickness.

Thank you!!

[Dbahnson]

Unfortunately there are hundreds of propellers that look the same yet are designed for entirely different engine/aircraft usage, and without specific model numbers you really can't do more than guess what they might have been used on.

I may be wrong, but it looks as if there may be a "shadow" of a decal on one of the photographs, and if that's what it is it looks very similar to a Lewis Propeller decal. I'll have to look through some other files to see how many 70 inch prop models Lewis may have made. That could narrow it down some.

[BAC]

Now that you say something, I do see the shadow of the Lewis logo on both sides of the prop. I had initially thought it was just some type of water stain, but they are identical on both sides, so the logo makes sense now. It's a shame I can't get any of the Lewis drawing numbers to match up with any part of the partial number on the hub? Crazy, I spent so much time with my grandfather over the years when I was growing up and I never even knew he had this prop until he passed, so I have no clue where he obtained it? I was able to open the GBLewisLogo file you sent, but was not able to open the other pic for some reason, so I am assuming it was a generic photo of another G.B. Lewis prop? Thanks for shedding some light on this. Something is better than nothing!!

Edit: The number ending in -153 on the hub is a partial serial number I am guessing?? It looks like it starts with a 1, but no telling what the second and third number might have been?? Not sure it would even be beneficial to know the serial number anyway? I have no clue what to think about the other number (2). I guess it will always be a mystery??

[BAC]

Here are pics of both sides of the prop where the Lewis logo used to be......that was a nice catch, and spot on correct!!

[Dbahnson]

I have another reference that lists Lewis models by length, and the ones with 70" diameter are these:

L11F
L11L
L16
L30
L33-2
L44-2
L55-C2
L55F-2

All of these type certificates expired on December 31, 1954, so any that were manufactured after that date were not eligible for use on certificated aircraft.


So if you go back to this list you'll see a number of possible uses, and it's impossible to know which of those it may have actually been used on.

[BAC]

This is extremely helpful information. I do appreciate you taking the time to assist with my query. I am almost certain that my Grandfather either owned (or shared) a Piper J-3 Cub when he was as young man, and some of those prop models align with that aircraft. This does help solve the mystery quite a bit! Many thanks!!