Hercules Propellers Has Regulatory Hurdles To Overcome Before Production Can Start

There is a large demand for propeller blades for Spitfire Aircraft in the U.K., so when Hercules Propellers' founder Rupert Wasey acquired about 200 original drawings of the original prop design for the iconic WWII fighter, he counted himself very lucky indeed.

But Wasey's company need to become a CAA Certified company in order to produce and sell the props.

The U.K. newspaper The Stroud News and Journal reports that currently, the only company that can provide propeller blades for Spitfires is located in Germany.

Wasey acquired the drawings through a business called Permali, which had bought a company which had produced the propellers in the 1950s. The original drawings, dating back to the 1930s, were about to be thrown away when someone from Permali called and offered them to Wasey, whose company produces reproduction propellers.

The company has received a grant from the Gloucestershire Growth Hub for the research and development phase while they do necessary paperwork and get manufacturing systems in place. But Wasey hopes that in about a year, props for Spitfire airplanes will again be being manufactured in the U.K.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.hercprops.com