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 Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.