Posted 9 years ago
Donia
(1 item)
I found these pins in the belongings of my late grandfather, Maj. Gen. Wilson V. Newhall of the Ill Air National Guard. He served in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War. I have been able to identify other pins such as his Order of the Daedalions, Quiet Birdman but these s2 remain a mystery. I am also curious as to why one has 3 props and the other 4.
Any help appreciated
donialrobinson@gmail.com
Your WW2 Army Air force DUI (Distinctive Unit Insignia) was used by the Army Air Force Training Command or known as pilot school. The pins look to be sterling and have a makers mark Mfg by Levelle & Co., PA & Wash D/C. Three & four props are for training on a B-17 and B-29
Thank you. My mother mixed her father's "stuff" in with my dads. Obviously these are my dad's as he was a bombardier in WWII on a B29 in a squadron known as "The Long Rangers" while my grandfather was a colonel stationed at Davis Monthan Field as a sub depot commander. Again thank you.
Your welcome, Interesting 35 year career your grandfather had in the Air National Guard. I found some photo's of two planes he flew and his midget racer.
Thank you. He was an amazing person! He won the Liberty engine trophy race and He placed 3rd in the Thompson air race and I still have one arm of the prop in my possession. His exhibition flying & diving over the lagoon during the Worlds Fair in Chicago was a sensation!
On the subject of 3 vs 4 blade props. This gets into engineering & design. A good example of this is the F4U-Corsair of WWII. The reverse "gull-wing" design looks cool, but it has a purpose. The prop. needed to be larger in dia. for more than 1 reason. The radial eng. was big in dia., but didn't need the back-wash from the inner parts of the prop. for cooling. In order to get the best thrust around the fuselage, the prop. needed to be larger in dia.. This in turn, created a problem with prop. ground clearance on landing a tail dragger, so the wings were designed to raise the front of the fuselage. Now. Does anybody want me to get further into this ? Basically, the more power, more blades is better, BUT, there many other factours involved. The P-51 had a slimmer fuselage, less drag etc., so could mount a 4 blade prop with less chance of the prop tips hitting the ground on landing. I'm just throwing a few of the variables out here.
Now, somebody ask why in old films, you see ground crew turning props. on radial engs. by hand .