A Very Rare Everel Single Blade Propeller, C1930's.

Description

Description:
A lovely and rare Everel Single Blade Propeller, Stamped DES 138A No. E43 HP40, RPM2575. C.1930.

Size:
122cms Long

Background:
The Everel propeller was an unusual aviation invention developed during the 1930s in Lancaster. At a time when most aircraft engineers were experimenting with adding more propeller blades, inventor Walter Everts believed that reducing the number of blades to one could improve efficiency. He argued that a single blade would create less drag while still producing effective thrust.

Everts designed a one-blade propeller balanced by a counterweight on the opposite side. The blade was mounted on a special hub that allowed it to pivot and automatically adjust pitch during flight. This meant it could move to a fine pitch during takeoff for better power and then shift to a coarse pitch during cruise for improved efficiency.

To commercialise the idea, Everts partnered with Frank Ellington to form the Everel Propeller Corporation. The wooden blades were carved by the Sensenich brothers in nearby Lititz. Local pilot Jesse Jones was chosen to test and promote the design.

Early tests were problematic, with severe vibration causing damage to the aircraft. After modifications were made, Jones successfully flew the propeller for the first time on 25 January 1937 in a Piper Cub. He later promoted the invention on a nationwide tour using a Cessna Airmaster fitted with the one-blade propeller, often surprising airport staff by claiming he was landing with only one propeller blade.

Although the Everel gained publicity, it was not commercially successful. Only around one hundred were sold. The propeller was heavier than conventional two-blade designs and significantly more expensive. While a normal propeller cost about $27, the Everel sold for around $270, making it impractical for many aircraft owners.

The design itself did not disappear entirely. Everts’ hub patent was later licensed to Koppers Corporation, which used the concept in the two-blade Aeromatic propeller.

Interest in the Everel was revived decades later by retired FAA inspector Gene Breiner, who researched surviving examples and tested one on his own aircraft. His comparisons showed that, while the propeller functioned, it performed less effectively than a standard two-blade propeller, with slower climb performance and longer takeoff runs.

Although it was not a practical long-term success, the Everel propeller remains an important example of experimental thinking in aviation history. It demonstrates how innovation often depends on testing unconventional ideas, even when they do not become widely adopted.

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