Reed D-1 Propeller, fixed-pitch, two-blade, metal

Type: Two-Blade, Fixed-Pitch Duralumin Propeller

Diameter: 274.3 cm (108 in)

Chord: 15.24 cm (6 in)

Engine Application: Curtiss K-6 150 Horsepower Inline 6, 112 kw (150 hp)

Manufacturer: Dr. S. Albert Reed and the Curtiss Aeroplane and Manufacturing Company, Inc.

The introduction of the metal aerial propeller was a significant advance in aeronautical technology in the early 1920s. Dr. S. Albert Reed theorized that thin metal blades would be more efficient than thick wooden ones for propellers at high speeds. Working with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Manufacturing Company, Inc., Reed developed a series of twisted solid duralumin propellers designed for durability and efficiency. The use of the Reed propeller increased overall performance and enabled the use of engines of greater power. For this achievement, Reed received the Collier Trophy for 1925.

This is the prototype Reed propeller, the D-1. It became the first solid one-piece duralumin propeller to be successfully flown on an aircraft. The famous barnstormer and test pilot, Casey Jones, first flew the propeller on August 30, 1921, with it installed on a Curtiss K-6 engine in a Curtiss-Standard biplane at Curtiss Field, Garden City, Long Island.