Tiger Moth or Auster propeller ?

[pmdec]

Hi,

I just found a propeller in very bad condition (badly (re?)painted before 1958, then exposed to moisture …). It has nothing to do with the propellers I am used to be interested in, but ... it is a propeller !!!
It is 1.94 meter, with 8 bolts on a 120 mm circle. Central hole is 70mm. The hub is conical with 162 and 198 mm external diameters. The thickness is about 100 mm. There are six laminations, three about 22 and three about 12mm.

The (re?)painting is loose everywhere, so the only way seems to carefully remove it. By doing this, I saw one blade has fabric but not the other: it has to be removed at the time of repainting, as there are some visible under the brass leading edges.



Hub markings are:
DH5220/P/25
D64P47 (>> 6'4" diameter and 4'7" pitch ?)
GIPSYMAJORLH (>>GIPSY MAJOR LH)
13309
And there is a small round faint stamp with 2 lines inside F.T. and E (or 5?) :



Nothing on the hub flat part.

On the other side, just MAJOR and a repetition of the number 13309 (both in smaller letters).

From Internet I found two auctioned props exactly similar, so it has to be a common one!

I think somebody will know something about the plane (a Tiger Moth? Which one?) and the propeller constructor … But I am also questioning:
- about the small round stamp
- about the fabric,
- and how the brass leading edges are fixed : I don't see any rivulet …

And a last question: what to do with a propeller in so poor condition?

Thank you by advance,
PM

(edited with minor changes : add the diameter and pitch guesses, the "E or 5" for the round stamp ... and the Auster guess after a search in this forum).

[Bob Gardner]

Bonjour Pierre-Michel,

It is good to talk to you again.

Your prop was used on both the Auster III and the DH82A Tiger Moth. I can't tell which aircraft your prop is from.

The 5220 series of propellers was originally made for the Moth aircraft of the late 1920's and 1930's; the Gipsy Moth and Hornet Moth etc. A letter for each modification was added and these run from DH 5220/A to DH5220/M; minor variations were indicated by a number such as DH 5220/A/1. Therefore your prop with the suffix P is a late variant and with the number 25 is a late modification to a late variant.

The Auster III came into use in about 1943, so your prop is later than that. The fabric may well be the waterproof coating used on British military aircraft.

On a different note, I am off to Paris tomorrow to visit la Musee de l'Air et la Space for the first time. I am also delivering a propeller to Paris.

Avec le Respect,

Bob

[pmdec]

Hi,

Thank you very much for your interesting data!

I wish you a good visit to Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace. I will send you a MP and a mail about this visit by one hour from now.

Best regards,
PM

PS : If you have some time left, there are some interesting displays of pre WW1 aviation objects at Musée des Arts et Métiers.