Thomas F. Hamilton, born in 1894, had a long history in aviation, including hot-air balloons, gliders, and seaplanes. When the Matthews Brothers Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, primarily a producer of furniture, sought to enter the wood propeller business during World War I, it hired Hamilton in 1917 as general manager of its aircraft department. He bought the propeller business from Matthews in 1919 and formed the Hamilton Aero Manufacturing Company, later becoming a secondary source to the United States government for the ground-adjustable propeller pioneered by Standard Steel.
William E. Boeing, one of the founders of the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, enticed Hamilton to join UATC. With the later acquisition of Standard Steel, the Hamilton Standard Propeller Corp. was formed.
This artifact is a propeller from the U.S. Navy Airship Macon which operated from 1933 to 1935, and was damaged in a storm and lost off the coast of California in February 1935.
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
Hamilton Standard Propellers
Physical Description
Type: Three-Blade, Ground Adjustable, Aluminum
Diameter: 487.7cm (192 in.)
Chord: 36.2 cm (14.25 in.)
Engine Application: Maybach VL-2, 418 kw (560 hp)
Dimensions
3-D (Hub, approximate): 48.3 × 48.3 × 25.4cm, 61.2kg (1 ft. 7 in. × 1 ft. 7 in. × 10 in., 135lb.)
3-D (Blades (3)): 236.9 × 35.6 × 14.6cm, 53.1kg (7 ft. 9 1/4 in. × 1 ft. 2 in. × 5 3/4 in., 117lb.)
3-D (Foil Gasket): 25.4 × 25.4 × 0.6cm, 0.1kg (10 × 10 × 1/4 in., 0.2lb.)
Storage (Aluminum Pallet): 257.8 × 121.9 × 104.1cm, 361.5kg (8 ft. 5 1/2 in. × 4 ft. × 3 ft. 5 in., 797lb.)
Materials
HAZMAT: Cadmium Plating
Aluminum alloy, Preservative coating, Steel, Paint, Chrome vanadium steel
Inventory Number
A19360050000
Credit Line
Transferred from the U.S. Navy Department
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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