all1knew Posted February 9, 2021 Share #1 Posted February 9, 2021 Hello all, Was told this is from a Cessna training aircraft during WW2 and from USAAF Aviation Cadet Training Program at Randoph Field, Texas. http://www.delawareaviationmuseum.org/aircraft/uc-78.html?fbclid=IwAR2X8wRUC77ZjufJM__5-1TrvvzqdIAwKC6geVcs5_2VxKI7JKt4sARcklQ https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196259/cessna-uc-78b-bobcat/fbclid/IwAR1Wc7nHC9MsKFAmW89A12L4RjtBoc-zJWNhekwhWaanHgWIsaax1-z9c9Q/ This is part of a grouping and here's more on the "story" "a very rare and extremely scarce WWII Hartzell Bamboo Bomber ( AT-8 / UC-78 ) Cessna Bobcat Military Training Aircraft 90″ Wood Propeller. This propeller was sent home after being damaged on an military base airfield in Randolph Field, Texas during WWII by flying cadet Donald Delano Dudley of the United States Army Air Forces. It was then hand signed Post-War by all of his childhood friends back home from 1946 to 1948 as you can see from the autographs on the propeller. D. D. Dudley was a flying cadet during World War 2 in the year of 1940 and retired in 1960 from the United States Air Force as a Major." Propeller Is Marked As Follows: Serial #33656 – A.T.C. NO. 457 – H.P. 225 – PIQUA, OHIO – R.P.M. 2000 – DESIGN C 707 80 (90) does that all add up? Any help and feedback would be greatly appreciated! William Kramer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all1knew Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share #2 Posted February 9, 2021 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 9, 2021 Share #3 Posted February 9, 2021 Source: Newspapers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 9, 2021 Share #4 Posted February 9, 2021 Source: Newspapers.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all1knew Posted February 9, 2021 Author Share #5 Posted February 9, 2021 thank you for sharing that. Can anyone confirm this type of propeller was used on WW2 era training aircraft? I ask because Wikipedia states this company did in fact make metal propellers during the war but obviously this is a wooden type. William Kramer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted February 10, 2021 Share #6 Posted February 10, 2021 Hartzell made both metal and wood props during WWII. But the Cessna UC-78/T-50 had constant-speed (variable pitch) propellers. Your prop was not used on that aircraft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all1knew Posted February 10, 2021 Author Share #7 Posted February 10, 2021 Thank you!! Is there a training aircraft from WW2 era which may have used this propeller? It's possible the exact model of aircraft was lost in translation but the "story" does coincide with what the newspaper article states and that is that the pilot crash-landed. I was told he kept this as a memento from that incident. I know nothing of these items which is why I ask, but the propeller here does appear to have damage as well. I think the details are just a little off. I was told "WWII Hartzell Bamboo Bomber ( AT-8 / UC-78 ) Cessna Bobcat Military Training Aircraft 90″ Wood Propeller. This propeller was sent home after being damaged on an military base airfield in Randolph Field, Texas" however the newspaper article says the crash happened at Mitchell Airfield in New York, not Texas. So the facts are just a little smudged and lost in translation, which is why I believe maybe the aircraft type may not be accurate. Anyways if you can think of any training aircraft that may have used something like this during the war please let me know. Additionally, I had read that these AT-8 and UC-78's were used to train bomber pilots (who later flew two-engine aircraft such as the B17) and his obituary states he was a fighter pilot so obviously a lot smaller of an aircraft.. William Kramer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 12, 2021 Share #8 Posted February 12, 2021 410627 AT-6 40-213636PI Mitchel Field, NY FLMF 5 Dudley, Don D USANY Jones Beach, LI, NY .......It was a AT-6!...This is the link to order the mishap report from AAIR, It will have photo's of the damaged aircraft....https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jun1941.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 12, 2021 Share #9 Posted February 12, 2021 News report Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 12, 2021 Share #10 Posted February 12, 2021 This is the Hartzell link to identifying wood props........https://hartzellprop.com/identify-historic-aircraft-propellers/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all1knew Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share #11 Posted February 12, 2021 12 hours ago, P-59A said: 410627 AT-6 40-213636PI Mitchel Field, NY FLMF 5 Dudley, Don D USANY Jones Beach, LI, NY .......It was a AT-6!...This is the link to order the mishap report from AAIR, It will have photo's of the damaged aircraft....https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jun1941.htm going to order the report. Thank you so much for the link! Before reaching out to Hartzell - does anyone have a guess if my propeller is correct for an AT-6? William Kramer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all1knew Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share #12 Posted February 12, 2021 plot thickens. Can't be from the AT6 crash but is from a Cessna Trainer as I was originally told. I reached out to the Hartzell company and here is their reply. William Kramer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all1knew Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share #13 Posted February 12, 2021 photo of a Cessna T-50 also known as the Cessna AT-17 Bobcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 13, 2021 Share #14 Posted February 13, 2021 The thing about that prop I am not understanding is that the damage is not to the cutting edge of the prop. I do not fly, but that is odd. Also the damage looks to be minimal so the strike force was nominal. Odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Keith Posted February 13, 2021 Share #15 Posted February 13, 2021 It is possible the damage happened to the prop when it wasn't flying/running/ or even attached to an aircraft. Neat find anyway! BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #16 Posted February 13, 2021 According to Dudley's obituary he had resided in the Standish, Michigan area for about 60 years. Most of the men whose names are on the propeller are from Standish, MI or in the immediate area. Here are the names of those I could find. I was not able to find any of the women's names but that's not all that unusual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #17 Posted February 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #18 Posted February 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #19 Posted February 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #20 Posted February 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #21 Posted February 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #22 Posted February 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted February 13, 2021 Share #23 Posted February 13, 2021 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 13, 2021 Share #24 Posted February 13, 2021 3 hours ago, Brian Keith said: It is possible the damage happened to the prop when it wasn't flying/running/ or even attached to an aircraft. Neat find anyway! BKW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-59A Posted February 13, 2021 Share #25 Posted February 13, 2021 When I look at this prop the damage is on both ends and in the same location and of the same type damage. This isn't storage related or dropped , it smacked something. I don't know enough about radial engines to know if they can back spin on a compression stroke when shut off. I know from old footage of hand cranked props this did happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now