FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1910
1910 - 0911.PDF
NOVEMBER 5, 1910. [/TiGHT] a remark unless it is asked for ; he neither loses his head or his temper. He can't be made to hurry. It was quite a joke at the Lanark meeting ; the officials found out that it was no good " fussing round," so they let him alone to come out when he was ready. M. Blondeau flying at Brooklands with his French pupil, M. Ducrocq, on his Henry Farman. When he first came to Brooklands there were not many who flew out daily as they do now, and the older dwellers of the place were inclined to be patronising ; they told him the Gnome didn't like the air of Brooklands, that the eddies were very bad and dangerous, and that a Frenchman had been there three months, and then left ® ® CONTINENTAL MEETINGS. The Brussels Meeting. ALTHOUGH the weather during the past week has not been all that might have been desired, quite a good deal of flying was seen at the meeting at Brussels. The competitors were not very numerous but they gave good demonstration flights whenever the weather was suitable and on several days the dirigible " Ville de Bruxelles " cruised over the Etterbeeck flying ground and on the 26th ult. it was out for over two hours and a half. There was a good deal of variety too among the flyers, who included Lafont on an Antoinette, Petrowsky on a Sommer, Tyck and de Caters on Bleriots, de Ridder on a Voisin and Madame Neil and Koechlin on Koechlin mono planes. Saturday was a blank day at the aerodrome on account of the thick fog. Flying Meeting at Liege. DURING the last week of October a flying meeting was held at Liege, and although no very extraordinary flights were seen, the large number of people who visited the aerodrome had plenty to interest them. The aviators included Parisot on a Henry Farman, Renaux on a Maurice Farman, Barra on a Bleriot, Count Robillard on an Antoinette, and Vidart and Martin on Hanriot monoplanes. Perhaps the best flight seen during the week was that of Parisot on his Henry Farman machine on the 27th ult. when he covered 82 kilometres in 59 mins., passing meantime over the Meuse Forts, &c. because as a flying ground it was a death-trap. M. Blondeau, like Brer Rabbit, "kept on saying nuffin." He is not a showy pilot ; he never does things to amuse the public, but he loves flying on his own machine, as he is certain that the motor and the plane are as safe and true as they can be made, in every detail. He leaves this to no mechanic ; he has none. He does all tuning up himself, and verifies every wire. His method of teaching is as follows : Every morning or evening, as the wind may allow, the pupil is taken up. He has all he can do to sit tight and keep his raptures to himself for the first two or three days. The engine purrs like an enormous cat, but with the regularity of a clock ; there is a rush along the ground, then a steady lift, when one becomes insensible to speed, conscious only of a strange exhilaration and an ampler air. For my first lesson I was deliberately taken to a considerable height and across country, for, as was explained to me afterwards, it is good that the pupil should lose any sense of fear he may have and learn the possibilities of his new and wonderful faculty. After two or three days' experience of the sort, when my ecstacies were sobered down and my pulse steadier, I was taken day by day round the course at a lower altitude, for by now I was prepared to give my attention to the machine and its working rather than to my own sensations. After three or four lessons, I was allowed to touch the lever and let the machine " feel my hands," and then it was that, with that lucidity and absence of fuss which marks Blondeau out as a born teacher, he taught me all I now know. After eleven lessons I began to fly in straight lines up and down the aviation ground, at first skimming the ground, then leaving it for short bouts, lastly in the air. In twenty-one lessons I was passed by the Aero Club. I do not hesitate to say that I could not have been taught better or more economically in England or anywhere else. I should be more than ungrateful if I did not testify to M. Blondeau's efficiency and patience, and I think I may add that I am the first pupil of any aviation school in this country to qualify by examinations, and that certainly I am the first at Brooklands. ® ® PARIS TO BRUSSELS AND BACK. UNDETERRED by his unsuccessful attempt some days ago for the Grand Prix of the Automobile Club of France, Michel Mahieu flew over from Etampes to Issy on the 27th ult. On the following day the Farman machine was got ready once more, and with De Manthe occupying the passenger's seat, Mahieu set off at half-past twelve on his second attempt to fly to Brussels and back. After making satisfactory progress the aviators landed at 3 o'clock at Dravecy, on the Belgian frontier, in order to replenish the fuel tanks. A quarter of an hour later they were on their way again, and succeeded in getting as far as Braine-le-Comte, about 18 miles from Brussels, where they landed at a quarter past five. During the last stage of the journey the flyers were much bothered by the strong side wind, and they, therefore, decided to stay the night at Brarne. At 7 o'clock the next morning a fresh start was made, and Brussels reached within 25 minutes, the landing being safely made on the Etterbeeck Plain. After resting for two hours and a half the aviators determined to start again for Paris, but the wind proved to be too much, and Mahieu did not succeed in getting his machine properly launched in flight. After a delay of an hour and twenty minutes Mahieu tried to make another start, but after circling the ground four times, came down at a third attempt. Mahieu started off alone, but as he could not get the machine to rise above 30 metres, he decided to give up his attempt to get back to Paris. BURTON AVIATIOIN-MEETING. LAST week we gave some published figures bearing upon the financial aspect of the Burton Aviation Meeting, and these apparently showed a balance of profit of about .£263, with which we reported a gold chain of office for the present and future Mayoresses, and other souvenirs, were to be acquired. In addition, we asked where the promoters of the meeting came in, over their profits, &c. In response we have received a letter from Messrs. Talbot, Stein and Evershed, of Burton-on-Trent, Solicitors for the Local Committee, in which they state that the paragraph in question is calculated to cause, and has, in fact, already caused, considerable misapprehension in the minds of some people who, like ourselves, are unaware of the true facts of the case. They continue as follows :— " The aviation meeting held at Burton was organised by a London syndicate—Aviation Courses, Ltd. For the use of the necessary land they paid to a local committee a fixed rent of ^300, out of which such committee had to pay certain sums for fencing and so on. The balance sheet, which was read at the meeting to which you refer, related to this sum of ,£300, and it is out of the balance of this fund that the souvenirs to which you refer are being provided. We might mention that the figure you mention as being the balance is quite wrong. The local committee have nothing whatever to do with the profits arising from the meeting itself. This is a matter entirely for Aviation Courses, Ltd." We are extremely glad to have this very clear official statement, and we are indeed sorry if there has been the slightest misap prehension caused by our paragraph, as not the smallest reflection was intended upon the Burton Local Committee or anybody else. We simply did not, as we said, understand the position from the figures and statements published, and our surmise was that the real state of affairs had apparently, for some reason, not been lucidly explained. The Burton Local Committee's position is now made quite clear, and we are indeed pleased, and congratulate them upon their extremely business-like arrangements, which enabled them not only to have a splendid exhibition of flight for the town, but also to secure for all time a substantial reminder of so historic an event. 909
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
