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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0664.PDF
OCTOBER 23, 1909. seat, and the damage sustained was limited to the machine, the skid being ripped off and one of the wheels crumpled out of shape. It is a coincidence that a discussion was going on in Latham's shed during the morning as to the possible danger of this skid, for it is rather short and projects forwards in a manner which suggests trouble; no one supposed, naturally, that the point at issue was to have a practical demonstration so soon. It would be interesting to know how far the arrangement of ski, used on the Farman flyer, would have been equal to the emergency of a descent on this difficult spot. Roe brought his small triplane out about lunch time, and suc- ceeded in making a short jump ; afterwards there was an interval until nearly three o'clock, when Rougier put in an appearance, but failed to make an ascent- Paulhan, however, brought out his Farman, and nothing daunted by the rising wind, now once more signalled at 10-15 m.p.h., was soon aloft. Then followed a performance which repayed all waiting. Calmly, but with infinite skill, Paulhan piloted his machine through the gusty air. It pitched and it swayed but he kept on, and not until he had completed seven laps did he descend. It was quite the most daring flight which has yet been attempted, either here or abroad, and the other competitors were among the loudest in their praises of his remarkable mastery of the air. Fernandez brought his small biplane out during Paulhan's flight, but did not rise. 4 PAULHAN. Lap i ... 30-3 m ,, 2 ... 29-8 ' Daily iLa p.h. „ i 1 71 Times. Sketch" Speed, 3 P3 ••• 29 4 ... 29 5 ••• 29 Prize, £400. laps. 11 m.p.h. 52 ,, 5 Lap 6 11 7 ... 29-5 m.p.h. ... 28-9 „ "<• Wednesday, 20th. Heavy rain throughout the night converted the enclosures in front of the competitors' sheds into miniature lakes, but a few quickly-dug trenches, assisted by a sandy subsoil, quickly disposed of the bulk of the water. Fernandez brought his machine out into the open about 10 o'clock and proceeded to diligently polish the tie-wires with emery paper ; whether he considered it more interesting than trying to fly he refused to say, but there is no doubt about the spectators' opinion. At noon he was still in the same place, but at a quarter past the hour he suddenly dashed out into the open and made off over the ground. This seemed to be a signal for other appearances in the field. Singer brought out his Voisin and proceeded to the starting line, while Parkinson's Bleriot monoplane made signs of moving. At this time the wind was signalled under 5 miles per hour, in fact, all the morning the conditions had been far superior to expectations, and why no one took the opportunity to make an earlier start it is difficult to say. No wonder the public in the grand stands grows less daily. Parkinson's monoplane at one end of the ground, and Singer's biplane at the other, made simultaneous attempts to fly in opposite directions ; the biplane got bunkered in a hole, and the monoplane took a little trot in the direction of its shed. Re-starting, Singer made a further run, but was unable to keep the huge box-kite tail from tipping right up in the air and driving his elevator-outrigger on to the ground. This happened repeatedly in spite of a fully- tilted elevator, and having been once more caught in a hole, he retired from action. Parkinson's machine was also put back in its shed after another little run. The trouble with Singer's machine was obviously a too great angle of incidence on the decks of the tail, and work was immediately put in progress to rectify this matter. Then came Henry Farman's great flight. No delay ensued before he makes a start, and lifting after a short run continued the flight at a low altitude. Lap after lap followed with uninterrupted precision, what time the spectators found themselves on the horns of a dilemma formed by the desire to have lunch and the disinclination to miss what was going on. After a quarter of an hour, Paulhan, having taken up his stand by a mark tower, proceeded to spread out a handkerchief as a signal to the pilot of the time elapsed. Fifteen minutes later two handkerchiefs were thus displayed, then three, and on the hour, four. It is a simple code, but likely to become confusing when the handkerchiefs get numerous. Farman signified he was getting hungry—the same might have been said of others. Each round was as like the other as it could be, the Gnome engine running like the proverbial clockwork, while giving out a distinctly unpleasant odour. This is caused by the use of Huile de Ricin, which is being used as a lubricant. Fournier appeared with his " Imperial Crown" (Voisin) at a quarter past two, and ten minutes laler Rougier's machine was faken out. Farman descended, after completing twenty-four laps, com- plaining of cramp, and almost instantly Rougier ascended on the other side of the course. After completing three laps at slow speed but fairly high altitude, he, too, descended, and Paulhan having taken Farman's place as pilot, flew off round the track, but only to make one lap. A spare balancing flap was then fitted in place of DONCASTER AVIATION MEETING.—General view of the aeroplane sheds, with a Voisin machine atid three Bleriot monoplanes in readiness for flying. 666
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