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Micarta is a plastic compound first developed around 1910 by George Westinghouse (1846–1914). Initially, it was fabricated by interleaving layers of Bakelite plastic with either paper or fabric and formed into a desired shape in a mold with heat and pressure. The material was used in a broad range of products requiring a high degree of durability. As early as 1918, the Westinghouse Company was producing Micarta propellers for the U.S. Army. By the late 1920s, Westinghouse began producing single Micarta props that could be attached to a two-bladed metal hub. The hub was designed to be pitch-adjustable on the ground. Micarta propellers became well-known after the 1927 nonstop flight of the Fokker C-2 tri-motor Bird of Paradise from Oakland, California, to Wheeler Army Airfield on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Seeking a propeller that was robust enough to handle a flight from California to Australia, Charles Kingsford Smith (1897–1935) and crew chose Micarta propellers, which were attached to the three Wright J-5 Whirlwind engines of the Fokker F.VIIb/3m Southern Cross. After this flight, the reputation of Micarta’s strength grew worldwide, and Westinghouse highlighted these two famous flights in promotions for Micarta and Micarta propellers. “Going the Distance: Endurance Aircraft Engines and Propellers of the 1910s and 20s” is on display, pre-security in the Aviation Museum and Library and online at: https://bit.ly/EnduranceEngines
This image was posted on February 21, 2023.
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