By: Arabella-Cox - 4th February 2011 at 21:24
Ham Stan vs de-H props
The major propeller models produced by de-H in WW2 were licence built Ham Stan models. The bracket types were used mostly pre-war with the Hydromatics coming in a bit later and superseding most of the brackets.
The de-H props were, externally, identical to the Ham Stan props and in fact were just imported Ham Stans with home production beginning a little later.
The Ham Stan 23E30 hub assembly was very widely used on US aircraft (Avenger, B-17, B-24, A-26, B-25, C-47/DC3, Corsair and Hellcat, to name but a few) and the licence-built, de-H model was identical to the point that parts were interchangeable.
We used our de-H, 23E50 props on Stirling, Lancaster, some Halifax, and some Hurricanes, and sundry other types. The earlier bracket types naturally found uses on earlier pre-war types such as Spitfire, Battle, Hampden, Lysander, Blenheim and a few others.
Curtiss Electric props found fewer UK applications being mostly on lend-lease/imported US types such as Wildcat. As far as I am aware there were no UK production aircraft which used these propellers though a few US types did (Thunderbolt, P-38 and Marauder). I believe there was a problem with reliability and power transfer which wasn’t effectively sorted out until later on.
The Curtiss Electric prop was notable by its long spinner which was, in fact, just a thin, light-alloy shroud which covered the electric pitch-change motor and gearbox. Later, the ever-resourceful de-H took a licence on the Curtiss props and managed to mate the electric pitch change units to a hub similar to the bracket prop. This saw use, probably more for experimental reasons, on some Wellington aircraft.
The big Curtiss design breakthrough was the hollow steel prop blade, which allowed use of a material in less demand to be used in their construction. Again, de-H, having the licence for both Ham Stan and Curtiss types, successfully mated the two designs and produced a reliable unit which was used (post WW2) on all production Beverleys, most Britannias and the SaRo Princess. It used hollow steel blades on a one-piece hub with hydromatic (long-stroke, for a reversing capability) pitch change gear.
De-H went on, post war, to develop a mass of hydromatic types for all applications as well as continuing use of the bracket types for low-powered aircraft such as the Prentice and Heron.
Anon.
By: DC Page - 3rd February 2011 at 02:42
For clarification, the first picture is of G-AGZI (AL557) later SX-DAA. The second picture is G-AGKU (AL547) at Sydney while in operation with QEA.
By: DC Page - 3rd February 2011 at 02:14
Alex,
Most B-24/LB-30/C-87 types had some variant of the Hamilton Standard 23E50 prop with 6477A-0 blades. G-AGZI (AL557) and G-AGKU (AL547) were somewhat different in that they were built for the RAF and weren’t lend/lease aircraft from USAAF production. As such they were built to RAF specs and weren’t like most aircraft built by Consolidated at that time. They were built with an enlarged nose, widened tailplane and Curtis Electric props with long hubs. I’m not sure what changes they went through in civilian life but since there were only 140 Liberator II models built for the RAF, this version would have been a very rare subtype when you consider there were more than 18,000 B-24 type aircraft produced. Some of the RAF Liberator II’s were armed and some were delivered unarmed as LB-30 transport variants.
By: Creaking Door - 2nd February 2011 at 23:19
Hi Anon… for a moment I thought that there was D.H…
de Havilland propellers?
Some Hamilton Standard propellers were also produced under licence by de Havilland.
By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd February 2011 at 23:10
Props
The aircraft G-AGKU (or is it AGKO?) appears to have Curtiss Electric propellers whilst the one in the hangar in the photo below it definitely has Ham Stan’s.
Anon.
By: Alex Kontiveis - 2nd February 2011 at 22:16
TNX guys… I’m grateful to U!
So… we talk about a HAMILTON STANDARD type. Ok?
By: tbyguy - 2nd February 2011 at 20:59
Not so much B-24 as LB-30…AL557 to be exact.
Interesting to note that much of this aircraft still exists at Darryl Skurich’s facility in Fort Collins, Colorado in the US.
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/b24registry/lb30-al557.html
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j159/corsair166b/LB-303.jpg
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j159/corsair166b/LB-302.jpg
I’d guess there’s a good chance that the CAF’s “Ol 927” flies with the same prop.
By: Alex Kontiveis - 2nd February 2011 at 20:26
Hi Anon… for a moment I thought that there was D.H….
Maybe the following pics will help U better…
By: Arabella-Cox - 2nd February 2011 at 20:15
Propeller type
They are definitely Hamilton Standard, fully-feathering Hydromatic props but as to the blade profile number/type, I can’t help you there.
Anon.
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February 2, 2011 at 6:26 pm
