(moved from main Emile Berliner page on 22 Nov 01)
Library of Congress Berliner Collection
Emile (and Henry) Berliner Links and References.
Emile (and Henry) Berliner Bibliography.
Emile and Henry Berliner Aviation Page (this page):
Henry Adler Berliner - aviation, helicopter, autogyro,
Berliner-Joyce, Ercoupe/Aircoupe, etc.
(moved from the main Emile Berliner page on 20 Nov 2004)
ERCO Propellors.
HANNOVER BERLINERS:
Other German Berliners.
The Berliners of Hannover 1720 - 1997".
Emile Berliner
The best known American Berliner is Emile, who was born on 20 May 1851 in Hanover,
Germany, and came here in 1870 on the HAMMONIA. He invented the carbon
microphone in 1876 and then (in 1887), the disk record and a method of mass
producing it and the disk player, the Gramophone.
Berliner and Aviation
There is a staggering amount of material on Emile and his sixth child, Henry
A(dler). Berliner, on the Web; I will link
as much more as possible. Oliver Berliner wrote me (06 May 1992) that
Henry, his uncle, "operated two businesses in the aeronautical field...EEMCO
(Electrical Engineering & Mfg. Co.) and ERCO (Engineering Research Corp.*)
the latter in Maryland and the former in Los Angeles. I believe that
both companies are out of business. - - - The last time I was at the
Smithsonian, the E. Berliner/H. Berliner autogyro was there. ERCO's
most famous product was the Ercoupe, a spinproof light aircraft
that was popular for decades {still is!*}. - - - I
seem to have lost (or lost track of) info. on Berliner-Joyce and the
U. S. Navy's Fury-series (XFJ-1/-3, XF3J, FJ, etc.); there is a forbidden
site, "http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/aircraft/" but here
J. F. (Joe) Baugher's² far better
one! Henry was an engineer who worked with his father on the
pioneering experiments with the helicopter, was president of Berliner
Aircraft, Inc., in Washington, D.C., from 1930 to 1954, and was Chief of
War Plans for the Eighth Air Force and lost an arm in combat during WWII.
Joyce turns out to be one Temple Nach Joyce.
[2 - Baugher also has a complete listing of ALL
US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos First Series (A6000 to 9999), with the
B-J P-16/XF/OJ variations!]
I found this quotation from Henry B.:
"Well, about the only future for the helicopter I can see is in
observation."
Happily, especially for Sikorsky, he was very, VERY, VERY
wrong!
* - For more on the Ercoupe (later Aircoupe),
see my AVIATION page. Also, see
below for an ERCO prop blade; it is marked "ENGINEERING &
RESEARCH CORPORATION".
There is an Ercoupe Owners Club
keeping the marque alive.
There is an entire page on
Berliner and Berliner-Joyce Aircraft on the
Aerofiles site, one of the most amazing amassments of aircraft
information I have ever seen; I heartily recommned that you devote
some considerable time to it, if you have not already done so.
Their page on Berliner, alone, is worth every moment and
has a photo of Henry piloting the 1921 "helcopter" (so-called).
I was advised (11 Aug 01) by a Gettysburg-area historian that Henry
went to Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania, "in 1927 as a
spokesman and partner of a group which operated Hoover Field in
Washington and opened and operated The Gettysburg Flying Service,
Inc." there. "By 1929, Henry had apparently sold out and
went back to manufacturing airplanes." This historian, who is
writing a paper (for private use) on early aviation in Adams County,
needs Henry's date of birth and death (13 Dec 1895 - 01 May 1970)
and place of burial; Henry's SS number might, or might not, be
577-09-9258 but he was apparently not buried in Rock Creek Cemetery
with his father. Any help would be appreciated [e-mail
directly to Arthur S. Cunningham at
asc@netrax.net (cc. to me, please)].
North American Aviation Co. absorbed Berliner-Joyce Aircraft Corp. in 1930 and
Berliner-Joyce was dissolved in 1933.
Incidentally, Googling "Berliner-Joyce" on 07 Jun 2005 turned up the North American
"Saberliner" for the first time! That might well be because it was
actually the "Sabreliner".
ERCO Propellors
[
ERCO prop(s) wanted
- see below#.]
From Texas came these photos of a single blade from an
ERCO propellor; first the decal ("Engineering &
Research Corporation - ' "COMPREG"
' - "ERCO - Riverdale - Maryland"), then the
whole blade, with a yardstick thoughtfully provided for
reference, the outer portion, the inner portion, and a
detail of the hub/ferrule*:
(Cropped from photos courtesy of owner - all rights reserved)
Can anyone provide more information about this blade?
One might logically assume that "COMPREG" refers to a
compressed impregnated wood laminate.
Well, on 09 Jan 03, I heard from another Erco prop
owner and here are his two "COMPREG" blades:
He, too, would like more background on these blades.
In late Jul 2003, I heard from yet another ERCO COMPREG
prop owner who would like information about the original
application and here are selected (and cropped) pictures
of his prop; one blade, the other blade, the two hubs together,
the two hubs apart, the "E" and a proof mark on a hub,
and the USAAF serial number, AAF 43K12157:
(Cropped from photos courtesy of owner - all rights reserved)
The owner wrote that "this prop has not seen airtime and still
has the original preservative on the hubs". Clearly, this
was a prop for an Army Air Force plane. A trainer?
A spotter? There WAS no USAAF prior to 20 Jun 1941 (U. S.
Army Air Corps) nor after 18 Sep 1947 (U. S. Air Force).
Who can tell us the usage of ANY ERCO propellors?
On 15 Jan 2005, I heard from another Erco prop. owner; here is his, with a
complete hub:
(Cropped from photos courtesy of owner - all rights reserved)
This gentleman would like to know "what it came off of, what the value of it is,
who might be interested in buying it, etc." Any info.? Please let
us know.
Well, I found that ERCO props were apparently used on PT-17 trainers (NOT
on B-17 bombers!) in the military and that they made the blades, not the hubs*; the
hubs* are from Hamilton-Standard.
ERCO made three sizes of COMPREG blades: 45", 49½", and 52".
* - we have a problem of terminology here; in some cases, the owners are talking
about the ferrules that form the base of the blade, in others, they refer to the part that
holds those ferrules, and thus the whole blades, to the propeller shaft. It is this
latter hub, often with feathering gear, that H-S made. The former hub
(or ferrule) is integral with the wooden COMPREG blade, being pressed on (or
otherwise fastened) to the shank of the blade and was made by ERCO. A
primary hub plus two or more blades (with ferrules) makes up a built-up propellor.
To try to sort this out until I find more authoritative terms, here's a rough sketch:
(18 Aug 2005 sketch by and © 2005 S. Berliner, III - all rights reserved)
# - if you have an ERCO "COMPREG" prop with which you'd be willing to part,
please let me know.
Also, would any old timer who either worked for ERCO or on COMPREG props
please contact me re a research project?
[Funny, trying to Google just "COMPREG" alone is a nightmare;
"COMPREG" is a tradename for various plywoods and
"compreg.dat" is a widely-used Computer
Registration file! You must use limiters and delimiters.]
I am advised (16 Jan 2007) that an ERCO "COMPREG" prop will be among items to be
up for bid at a Science & Technology auction on 24 March 2007 at
Skinner’s in Boston (along with some very interesting phonograph cylinders).
(16 Jan 07)
Berliner commissioned a radial aircraft engine in 1908 (perhaps the first ever) for his
early helicopter experiments.
You might wish to visit my other Berliner pages noted on the
INDEX, above.
THUMBS UP!
THUMBS UP! - Support your local police, fire, and emergency personnel!
S. Berliner, III
To contact S. Berliner, III, please click here.
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of this series of Berliner pages.
© Copyright S. Berliner, III -
1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005,
2007
- All rights reserved.
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