Professor Samuel Pierpont Langley, the third Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was a leading scientific figure in the United States in the latter nineteenth century, well known especially for his astronomical research. Langley had also begun serious investigation into heavier-than-air flight with model and full-size aerodromes. Although successful in his 1890s demonstration with an unmanned heavier-than-air aircraft, his 1903 attempts to demonstrate a manned aircraft were unsuccessful. His request for further funding was refused; he suffered much public ridicule and died in 1906.
In 1914, the Smithsonian contracted with Glenn Curtiss, a prominent American aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer, to rebuild the earlier 1903 unsuccessful Langley Aerodrome A and conduct further flight tests. With significant modifications and improvements, Curtiss was able to coax the Aerodrome A into the air for a number of brief, straight-line flights at Hammondsport, N.Y.
This propeller is an artifact of those flights, with a clipped leading edge being one of the modifications.
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
Date
1914
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
PROPULSION-Propellers & Impellers
Manufacturer
Langley, modified by Curtiss
Physical Description
Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch, Wood and fabric
Diameter: 250.2 cm ( 98.5 in.)
Chord: 50.8 cm ( 20 in.)
Engine Application: Curtiss 60 kw (80 hp)
Dimensions
Rotor/Propeller: 250.2 × 50.8 × 3.2 × 39.4cm (98 1/2 × 20 × 1 1/4 × 15 1/2 in.)
Storage (aluminum pallet and frame with fabric cover): 250.2 × 121.9 × 105.4cm, 111.1kg (98 1/2 × 48 × 41 1/2 in., 245lb.)
Materials
Unidentified wood, Textile, Steel, Brass, Original Varnish, Paper, Adhesive
Inventory Number
A19320023000
Credit Line
Transferred from by the Smithsonian Institution
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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