This pusher propeller was built by Professor Samuel P. Langley in 1897, and used in unsuccessful experiments mounted on a special rail hand car to determine the effectiveness of the device. Charles Manley, Langley's colleague, described this experiment in 1911 memoirs. A gasoline engine "said to have furnished over six horse-power on Prony-brake tests, evidently did not furnish anything like this amount of power at this time." Furthermore, the railroad car was very heavy, offering too "strong a tractive resistance," and "the propeller was evidently far too large to permit the engine to run at the speed at which it would develop a reasonable amount of power."
Langley's famous Aerodrome experiments were not successful in developing a piloted aircraft before his death in 1906; however, a later experiment conducted by Glenn Curtiss and sponsored by the Smithsonian, extensively modified the Aerodrome and made a few short flights in it in 1914.
Display Status
This object is on display in Early Flight at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
Object Details
Date
1897
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
PROPULSION-Propellers & Impellers
Designer
Samuel P. Langley
Physical Description
Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch, Wood and Fabric
Diameter: 251.5 cm (99 in.)
Chord: 83.8 cm (33 in.)
Engine Application: Gasoline, 4.5 kw (6 hp)
Dimensions
Rotor/Propeller: 251.5 x 83.8 x 6 x 14cm (99 x 33 x 2 3/8 x 5 1/2 in.)
Materials
Wood and Fabric
Inventory Number
A19320020000
Credit Line
Found in the collection
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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