S. Albert Reed had a successful career as an engineer and inventor before entering aeronautics. Observation of a foghorn allegedly led him to a better way to generate acoustic noise with electric motors whirling duralumin vanes. In 1920 neighboring Curtiss employees challenged Reed to instead design lightweight, but strong and efficient aeronautical propellers made from duralumin.
Reed began manufacturing propellers for the Army Air Service in 1922, with the Reed Propeller Company being formed as a subsidiary of the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company in 1924. By early-1926, the Reed propeller was used in more than eighty engine and airframe combinations, and was the choice of racing teams for the Pulitzer and Schneider Trophies. Reed was awarded the Collier Trophy for 1925. However, with daily use by the U.S. Air Mail Service and others, it became apparent that his propeller was structurally unsound and, with its inability to vary pitch, the concept did not survive the 1920s.
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 and Motor Company
Designer
Dr. S. Albert Reed
Physical Description
Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch, Aluminum Blades and Wood Hub
Engine Application: Unknown
Dimensions
3-D (Propeller): 250.2 × 25.4 × 22.9cm, 29kg (8 ft. 2 1/2 in. × 10 in. × 9 in., 64lb.)
Storage (Aluminum Pallet): 301 × 123.2 × 134.6cm, 275.8kg (9 ft. 10 1/2 in. × 4 ft. 1/2 in. × 4 ft. 5 in., 608lb.)
Materials
HAZ MAT: Cadmium Plating
Aluminum alloy, Steel, Laminated wood, Paint, Paper
Inventory Number
A19300053000
Credit Line
Gift of Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Co., Inc., Garden City, Long Island, New York
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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