H I S T O R I C A L  T I M E L I N E
1875 - John T. Hartzell opens a sawmill in Greenville, Ohio cutting general hardwoods. Some of the best walnut timber in the United States came from Ohio and Indiana - and Hartzell was located right in the center of this timber belt.
1875
1900 - George W. Hartzell buys his father's interest in the business and moves it to Piqua, Ohio. Here he builds a more modern bandmill and begins specializing in oak and walnut lumber. The main airplane propeller plant in Piqua, Ohio, as seen circa the mid-1910's.
1900
1914 - Orville Wright moves to Oakwood, Ohio, near George Hartzell's home.  
1914 - Hartzell was selling 100% of its products into Europe. An embargo at the outbreak of World War I causes company to shift production to gunstocks and propeller lumber.  
1917 - With a strong interest in aviation and the encouragement of Orville Wright, Robert N. Hartzell leaves University of Cincinnati to start the manufacture of aircraft propellers at his father's company. Early advertisements stated, "This Trade Mark is the guarantee of quality. Look for it always on Propellers."
1917
1917 - Hartzell designs and builds its first propellers for the Glenn Curtiss Company's JN.4 Jenny. JN.4 - Hartzell propellers quickly earned a favorable reputation during WWI, becoming the fighter pilots' propeller of choice.
1917
1918 - Hartzell begins building propellers for the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company's Liberty Engine powered DH-4. Hartzell begins professional with the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company.
1918
1919 - Loening Monoplane sets world's altitude record with Hartzell Liberty Propellers.  
1923 - Fred Charavay, Chief Engineer at Hartzell Propeller, designed and built the plywood FC-1 Hartzell race plane. It wins the Flying Club of St. Louis Trophy at the St. Louis International Air Races. The limited number of aircraft available for testing and a corporate commitment to research and development led Hartzell to create the FC-1 race plane.
1923
1924 - The first rigid airship built in the United States, the USS Shenandoah, takes flight with Hartzell propellers.  
1924 - The Hartzell built FC-1 Airplane wins the Central Union of Dayton Trophy at the Dayton International Air Races. Its winning speed was 97.42 miles per hour.  
1926 - Hartzell begins manufacture of propellers for the first general aviation aircraft in the United States, the Aeronca
C-2.		 Aeronca C-2 - As the general concept of aviation and powered flight moved from the experimental stage into the mainstream, Hartzell's unmatched early experience made them the logical choice for general aviation aircraft.
1926
1926-1930 - Hartzell propellers go barnstorming with various Waco models built in nearby Troy, Ohio.  
1931-1933 - Hartzell designs and builds huge propellers, 16-18 feet in diameter, for the U.S. Navy's rigid airships USS Akron and USS Macon. Big Prop, Little Prop - Always on the leading edge of technology, Hartzell has been associated with some of the most unique - and diverse - aircraft in history.
1931-33
USS Macon was an aircraft truly deserving of the name "airship."
1931-33
1932 - Hartzell supplies its first propellers to Beech for the company's revolutionary new B17 Staggerwing. The B17 Staggerwing initiated what would be a long and mutually beneficial relationship for both Beech and Hartzell.
1932
1942 - Hartzell begins production of aluminum propeller blades for the U.S. military during the Second World War.  
1945 – Hartzell hires David Biermann as General Manager to lead the company in development of new products following the war. Mr. Biermann was considered an expert in propeller research at the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA), the forerunner of NASA.  
1945 – Hartzite, a proprietary composite material, was developed and used in the construction of propeller blades for Hartzell’s first ground adjustable propellers.  
1946 – Hartzell is the first to develop a reversible propeller. Developed for the Republic Seabee, this propeller allowed control of the aircraft in water. The Seabee also used Hartzite blades for reduced water erosion.
1946 – Hartzell designs and introduces its first all-metal controllable pitch propeller which sees its first use on Ryan’s Navion.  
1949 – Hartzell’s first constant speed propeller is installed on the Beech Bonanza.  
1952 – Hartzell designs and certifies the first full-feathering propellers for general aviation. This becomes a key component in the successful introduction of the industry’s first light twins from Aero Commander, Piper, Beech and Cessna. As Piper and others develop a new class of aircraft for personal business, Hartzell is there.
1952
1961 – Hartzell develops its first lightweight and compact aluminum hub system and it is placed into service on the Mooney M20C.  
1964 – Hartzell discontinues production of wood fixed-pitch propellers to focus on more technically advanced constant-speed systems. The Beech King Air 90 revolutionized the executive class, with fast, relatively quiet travel, made possible in large part by Hartzell props.
1964
1964 – Hartzell develops a new line of propellers for new small turboprop engines being introduced. Its first application is for the Beech King Air 90.  
1975 – The Shorts 330 is certified with the industry’s first five-bladed propeller system. Hartzell developed this propeller for higher horsepower turboprop engines being introduced. Shorts 330 - The large growth in demand for regional commuters required props that were extremely reliable to handle the large horsepower and provide a pleasing passenger environment.
1975
1978 – Hartzell reintroduces composite blades, the industry’s first structural advanced composite blade for the CASA 212 utility aircraft. Previous experience with composite materials provided a jump-start for the reintroduction of composite propellers on the CASA 212.
1978
1981 - Hartzell family sells propeller business to TRW Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio.  
1985 – The FAA issues Hartzell the industry’s first unlimited service life designation for composite blades.  
1986 – Voyager circumnavigates the globe with the help of Hartzell propellers, setting three Absolute World Records which still stand. Voyager - Jeana Yeager's and Dick Rutan's historic nine-day around the world flight required an extremely high-efficient propeller design.
1986
1987 – Hartzell certifies the industry’s first lightweight six-bladed propeller system for the Shorts 360.  
1988 – E-Systems / Grob Egrett-1 sets the Turboprop altitude record of 53,574 feet pulled by a Hartzell propeller.  
1988 - Jim Brown acquires Hartzell Propeller  

1989 – Boeing Condor UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) sets a piston altitude record of 66,980 feet using Hartzell propellers.

  
1993 – Hartzell launches the first lightweight dual-acting propeller system for the Dornier 328. Simultaneously increasing demand for regional commuters and restrictions on ground noise levels around airports were a challenge met with shorter, high-thrust composite props for the Dornier 328.
1993
1994 – Hartzell’s composite aerobatic system takes to the air for the first time and has since seen use with Patty Wagstaff, Sean D. Tucker, members of the U.S. Aerobatic Team, and many other aerobatic performers.
1997

1997 – Hartzell selected by NASA to provide the propeller system for the General Aviation Propulsion program. This propeller is to be mated to Teledyne Continental’s diesel engine under development.

 Hartzell's superior engineering, manufacturing, and testing capabilities made them the only logical choice to partner with NASA on their new project.
1997
1999 – Wayne Handley sets Turboprop Time to Climb to 3000 meters record behind a Hartzell propeller. Wayne Handley - With a thrust to weight ration of 1.5 to 1, the Oracle Turbo Raven performs like no other show plane.
1999
1999 – Hartzell delivers its 5000th Top Prop Performance Conversion propeller system. Addressing the performance needs of thousands general aircraft owners, increasing the performance and overall flight experience of some of the world's most popular aircraft.
1999