Offered here is a four blade laminated wood aircraft propeller possibly from a British De Havilland DH.4. First flown in August 1916, the two seat DH.4 aircraft was used extensively by British and American flying forces as a bomber and aerial reconnaissance platform in World War I. Out of the nearly 6,300 manufactured, 4,846 were built by the U.S. These U.S. built planes commonly featured a two blade propeller, instead of the four blade version typical with those built by the British, and were dubbed the “Liberty Planes” since they were paired with the American V-12 “Liberty” engine, and was the only U.S. built aircraft flown into combat during World War I. Only 12 “Liberty Planes” are known to have survived. After the armistice surplus DH.4s proved very useful in a variety of non-wartime roles such as mail carrier, transporter, trainer, and air racer. Famed aviator Jimmy Doolittle flew a “Liberty Plane” in his 1922 record breaking transcontinental flight. The U.S. Army continued to fly their version of the DH.4 well into the early 1930s, making it the backbone to early American military aviation that was even used in the first successful air-to-air refueling in 1923. Each blade is numbered 1 through 4 on the back along with the number “1398” and the letter “B.” Length: 92 inches. Provenance: The Dr. Robert Azar Collection

Very good, with an overcoat of varnish along with a splice repair on a blade towards the tip and few stress lines, all characteristics of a propeller that saw true use. The metal along the edges of the blades appear to have been restored. The modern bolts with washers and nuts are decorative and could be used for a mounting bracket. The design of this propeller makes for a distinctive piece of aviation memorabilia that will easily hang on a wall. Four blade examples are not often encountered.