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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0556.PDF
SEPTEMBER II, 1909. Flying Week at Southport. AT a meeting of the Southport Trades Association, a letter from Baron de Forest to the following effect was read :—" I hear Southport is anxious to have an aviation meeting. I can arrange the whole thing for next year, and get all the best exponents. They will come if I ask them, for I know them all." The desirability of holding such a meeting at Southport was agreed upon, and the matter is to be further considered. An Aerodrome in the Fen Country. SPALDING Urban District Council is anxious to have an aerodrome in their district, and have brought before the notice of the Aero Club the claims of the Cowbit Wash, in Lincolnshire, as a suitable ground for flying experiments. It is a ten-mile stretch of flat Fenland country, pasture land in summer, and when flooded and frozen one of the finest skating grounds in winter. More Encouragement for British Flyers. IT is announced in the daily Press that the gold medal of the North British Academy of Arts, Science, Literature, and Music, and the honorary fellowship of the Society, will be conferred upon the first British aviator who flies in a British-made machine from Newcastle to London or vice versa. Yet there are wails going up in certain quarters that no encouragement is being accorded to aviation in Great Britain ! Orville Wright Flies 55 minutes at Berlin. LAST Saturday, Orville Wright had his flyer out again on the Tempelhof field and flew for T9 minutes. There was not a very large attendance of the public, probably due to the fact that Orville Wright did not take the air on the two previous days, when expectant crowds had been compelled to retire with their disappointment. On Tuesday afternoon a most successful flight, lasting 55 minutes, was witnessed by a very large concourse of people, while on Wednesday two trials were made, one of 35 mins. 56 sees., and a second of 17 mins., with Capt. Hildebrandt as passenger. Fatal Accident to M. Lefebvre. ALL interested in flying were shocked on Tuesday evening by the news that M. Lefebvre had met his death while testing one of the Wright flyers at the Juvisy Aerodrome. A flight of some length had been made on one machine, and M. Lefebvre than changed to another. He had not, however, travelled more than 600 yards or so when the aeroplane suddenly swooped down to earth, and on helpers running to the smashed machine it was found that M. Lefebvre had fallen from his seat, having died almost instantly, apparently from con- cussion of the brain. It was at first thought that the motor had stopped and caused the accident; but this was not so, as the engine was still running after the smash. The sympathy of all our readers will, we feel sure, be extended to the relatives of the unfortunate aviator in their bereavement. M. Lefebvre, at Rheims, had demonstrated that he had marvellous control of his Wright flyer, and it was felt that he had a brilliant future before him. Our readers will remember that he taught himself to fly in a very short space of time, taking one of the Wright flyers to Holland in order to practice with it, and within a few weeks he competed with great success against those who are past-masters in the art. His loss, therefore, at the early age of thirty-one is much to be deplored. In our leading article this week we refer further to this calamity. M. Sommer at Nancy. BY way of adding to the attractions of their Exhibition, the authorities at Nancy made a lucrative offer to M. Sommer to carry out some flights. This he accepted, and has magnanimously decided to devote the surplus of his salary, after paying expenses, to the poor of Nancy and of his birthplace. He arrived at Nancy on the 3rd inst, and found his machine, which had been sent on the previous day, already erected by his two mechanics. During the evening he made just a short flight round the ground, and last Saturday he was out twice, both in the morning and evening. On Monday the weather was against flying, but a large number of people were, nevertheless, admitted to the grounds. Considerable commotion ensued upon the announcement that M. Sommer would not fly. The situation began to look serious, as some of the crowd threatened to break down the sheds and fences, but M. Sommer generously came to the rescue of the authorities. A lull in the wind provided a chance of a flight, of which he took instant advantage, flying once round the ground, and thus the spectators wera appeased and retired in orderly fashion. Four flights were made on Monday, the longest of 35 mins., and in another Mme. Spire was carried as a passenger. M. Paulhan at Tournai. WITH the somewhat high-sounding title of the " Grand Semaine d'Aviation," the flying meeting at Tournai commenced on Sunday last, under somewhat inauspicious circumstances. The entries include machines of MM. Bulot, Breguet, Lasterras, Lelieu, Bonnet and Bregi, and in order to make sure of giving the public something for their money, M. Paulhan was engaged to fly four times a day, weather permitting. On the opening day rain fell during the greater part of the day, and the wind was too strong to suit flyers. Towards evening, however, it moderated, and then M. Paulhan managed to put in three short flights, on the third occasion taking a passenger with him. Santos-Dumont at Work Again. M. SANTOS-DUMONT, after an interval of a month or so, has re-commenced his experiments at St. Cyr with a miniature flyer of the Demoiselle type, and made several short flights on Tuesday, The machine which he is at present using is fitted with a 2-cyl. Darracq engine, which, weighing 45 kilogs. complete, gives 30-h.p., the bore and stroke being 130 mm. by 120 mm. Trial Flights. v: -: V;- : THE Koechlin monoplane was tried on the 2nd inst. at Juvisy by M. de Nabas, who succeeded in getting the machine to rise to a height of 10 metres. It covered a distance of 400 metres, the flight coming to an end by collision with the railings round the aerodrome offices. The aviator escaped unhurt, but the machine was, of course, damaged. On September 3rd, " M. de Rue" (Captain Ferber) won the Dejardin prize of 1,000 francs by beating M. Delagrange's time for the circular kilom. at Juvisy, the new time being 1 min. 15 sees. He also flew twice round the course at a height of about 50 metres. The railings at Port Aviation seem to have a magnetic attraction for aviators. They have already been broken down several times. On Saturday M. Geneyran attempted to fly with the Tanis-Bucheron triplane, but owing to an error in manipulation he, like M. de Nabas, charged the barriers, damaging the machine but escaping unhurt. 560
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