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Lot 111

AVIATION.
A pair of propellers for a Blériot Penguin Trainer,

Amended
4 June 2014, 13:00 EDT
New York

US$5,000 - US$8,000

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AVIATION.

A pair of propellers for a Blériot Penguin Trainer, each 47 inches long by 7 inches wide (at widest part of blade), wood, one with all 6 original nuts and bolts, the other with 3 of 6, circa 1910, flaking and chipping to varnish of one blade, both propellers with general scuffs and wear (one heavier), bolts a bit rusty.

The Bléirot Penguin Trainers were monoplanes used for developing flight skills on the ground, allowing students to practice taxiing before graduating to more advanced maneuvers. Rather than using dual controlled aircrafts to train fighter pilots, the French technique was to start with a very basic plane, and once the basic techniques were mastered, allow them to progressively graduate to more advanced machines. The Penguins were based upon the Blériot XI monoplanes, but with clipped wings, less powerful engines, and smaller propellers. They often had a horizontal bar above the cockpit rather than a pylon structure, and they were usually fitted with skids to stop the machine from nosing over. These machines allowed the students to run along the ground at speeds of up to 40 mph with the tail in the air, allowing the pilots to learn how to use the rudder to maintain a straight path.

Saleroom notices

Provenance: Joe Geller, owner of Raceway Sports of the Bronx, New York.

Additional information

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