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Curtiss Propeller, Fixed-Pitch, Two-Blade, Wood
Among the most successful early engines marketed in the United States were those designed and built by aviation pioneer and inventor Glenn Curtiss in his factory in Hammondsport, New York. Early Curtiss engines of one and later two cylinders were designed to power motorcycles. In 1904 a two-cylinder, V-type engine-believed to be the first Curtiss aircraft engine was modified to power Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin's California Arrow dirigible. Curtiss’s first direct involvement with propellers likely was assistance to Baldwin in the improvement of the airship propellers.
The Burgess Company of Marblehead, Massachusetts later supplied the Curtiss Company with wood propellers beginning in 1910 before the company started its own production at its new Buffalo, New York, factory in 1916. That facility was likely the source for this artifact.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
PROPULSION-Propellers & Impellers
Manufacturer
Curtiss Aeroplane Company
Physical Description
Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch, Wood
Diameter: 241.3 cm (95 in.)
Chord: 21.6 cm (8.5 in.)
Engine Application: Likely Liberty for Curtiss HS flying boat
Dimensions
Rotor/Propeller: 241.3 x 21.6 x 20.3 x 15.2 x 1.1cm (95 x 8 1/2 x 8 x 6 x 7/16 in.)
Materials
Wood
Natural Fabric
Varnish
Paint
Inventory Number
A19690188000
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
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