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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0108.PDF
anything and that the British engines at present in use were also good, with the further prospect of two or three more of the very best coming along before the end of the year. Baron de Forest's health was then proposed by Mr. Roger Wallace and received with musical honours. Baron de Forest, in acknowledging the toast, congratulated Mr. Sopwith upon his success. When the prize was offered, he said, not a single successful machine had been made in England, and it was a great achievement that the prize had been won at all, he thought. Mr. Sopwith's success was, therefore, all the more praiseworthy and it was one of the pluckiest efforts he thought that had ever been seen in any industry. There was one note of extreme sadness in the competition, however, and in respect to this he tendered his most sincere sympathy to the relations of the late Mr. Cecil Grace, who had met with such a terrible fate after his gallant attempt to win the prize. He wished to add a word in the cause of peace. The aeroplane was not for war alone. He thought it would give far greater facilities for commerce and the increase of trade and it would rather tend towards the ultimate elimination of war. If the aeroplane was likely to lead to peace, he was proud to think he had contributed towards Great Britain taking a forward place in bringing about such a desirable object. M. Michelin then personally presented Mr. S. F. Cody with a cheque for ^500 won by him in connection with the British Empire Michelin Cup, and was glad to believe that the offering of trophies of this character to Englishmen by Frenchmen helped towards the entente cordiale. Mr. Marc J. Wolff, on behalf of M. Michelin, read details of the creation of a new series of prizes which M. Michelin had decided to offer for competition in Great Britain. Briefly, the suggestion was that a prize of ^400 and a trophy- should bo awarded to the aviator who before October 15th covered in the best time a course, say, from Hampstead to Guildford, Oxford and St. Albans and back, circling the steeples of the principal churches in each town. For this year the minimum distance would be 125 miles. Next year it would be 50 per cent, more and the prize ^600, while in the third year it would be £800. Mr. S. F. Cody, in acknowledging the prize, said that he claimed to be the father of dynamic flight in this country and had ten years ago given the War Office, in his Cody aero plane-kite, the first aeroplane in the world. He had always been working and always did work on his own lines. What Cody did was Codv pure and simple. Whether other people were copying or not he was willing for anyone to criticise his design and he was satisfied he would come out free of sus picion in regard to his copying anybody. His only regret was that he had not won the Michelin prize last year. The machine which he won it on was his second full-sized model and was an all-British machine, as he was naturalised before he com menced its design. It was the heaviest machine in the world and carried over 2,300 lbs. into the air. A prize he would like to see offered as an encouragement to British aviators would be for an all-British machine for a British duration record with a minimum period specified. He did not agree that we had not a British engine capable of long distance work. He had used amongst others a Green engine and it had always served him well, and in flying for the Michelin Cup he accidentally switched off the ignition and that was the reason be came down. The engine had nothing to do with it. Both that engine and the E.N.V. were good engines to his personal knowledge. All they wanted was to have a fair chance in being used. The Hon. Mrs. Assheton Harbord was then announced as the recipient of the Royal Aero Club Challenge Cup for spherical balloons. In respect to this presentation, by special request Admiral Sir E. H. Seymour replied on behalf of Mrs. Assheton Harbord. He thought that she thoroughly deserved the prize, as by her courage and continuous work in ballooning she had well earned the title of " Queen of the Air." Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, in proposing the toast of " The Aero Club of the United Kingdom," said he saw nothing but the most hopeful future for the industry and with the Royal Aero Club in charge of the promotion of its welfare there need be no fear. Mr. Roger Wallace, K.C., the Chairman of the Club, in reply announced that it had been decided to award the Gold Medal of the Club to the late Mr. Cecil Grace as a token of respect and appreciation of what he had done for the science. A silver medal had been awarded to Mr. Loraine FEBRUARY II, 1911. or his Irish Channel flight, and a silver medal had also been awarded to Mr. John Dunville for his balloon journey over the Irish Channel. The provincial clubs were doing very great work in conjunction with the parent club to further spread the study and sport of aviation and he specially singled out the Scottish Aeronautical Society, the Midland Aero Club, the Manchester Aero Club, the Bristol and West of England Aero Club, as conspicuous in this respect, but even down to the smallest they were all helping loyally in their respective spheres. He also thanked very sincerely Mr. Frank McClean for his great assistance to the Club by his munificent behaviour in connection with the Eastchurch flying ground and also for the offer of his flying machines for the use of the Navy through the Royal Aero Club. He was very glad to be able to announce that Mr. Mortimer Singer had offered a prize of ^500 for competition for the Navy and a like sum for the Army during 1911, for the member of either on the active list who should fly the longest distance. The Club was working entirely in the interests of aviation and would continue to do its utmost at all times when called upon and he thanked all those interested for the confidence reposed in that body. Sir Charles D. Rose, Bart., M.P., in very happy terms proposed the toast of " The Visiters." In reply, Mr. Edward Manville, President of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, after thanking the Club for the generous manner in which they had entertained their guests, said he was very pleased to accept the suggestion that had been made by an earlier speaker and to supplement the great encouragement which had been given by Baron de Forest in his magnificent ^4,000 prize by offering a prize of ^500 for "endurance" during the year 1911, the com peting aeroplanes to be entirely of British construction. Mr. Van Tenvinja, the President of the Aero Club if Holland, also responded to the toast, and speaking in English, said that he, as representing the Dutch Club, much ap preciated the magnificent reception which had been given him as representing aviation in Holland and promised a very hearty reception to those who might visit his Club. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was very cordially received just upon the stroke of midnight. Amongst those present were His Grace the Duke of Argyll, K.T. (in the chair), Lord Strathcona, G.C.M.G., Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, Sir E. R. Henry, K.C.B., Major Sir A. Banner- man, Bart., R.E., Sir C. D. Rose, Bart., M.P., Baron de Forest, Mr. Roger W. Wallace, K.C. (Chairman of the Royal Aero Club), and Mrs. Wallace, Admiral of the Fleet Sir E. H. Seymour, G.C.B., K.C.B., Sir Marcus Samuel, Bart., Sir George White, Bart. (President Bristol Aero Club), Sir H. Norman Lockyer, F.R.S., Sir Wm. and Lady Mackenzie, Major F. Egerton Green, Mr. W. Hayes Fisher, M.P., Mr. Edward Manville (President of the S.M.M.T.), Mr. Van Tenvinja (President Aero Club of Holland), Messrs. Mervyn O'Gorman, S. Z. de Ferranti (President Institute of Electrical Engineers), Thos. Marlowe, Capt. P. W. L. Broke-Smith, R.E., Major F. Lindsay Lloyd, Prof. A. K. Huntington, Messrs. John A. F. Aspinall, P". S. Sells (Manchester Aero Club), Ralph Glyn, John A. E. Aspinall (President Institute of Mechanical Engineers), Marc J. Wolff, E. P. Frost, Sir Thos. D. Pile, Bart., and Lady Pile, Colonel the Hon. G. Napier, the Hon. Mrs. Assheton Harbord, the Earl and Countess of Clonmel, Colonel Du Cane, Captain B. Dickson, Viscount Templetown, Colonel Talbot, Dr. W. J. S. Lockver, Major J. N. C. Kennedy, Lieut.-Colonel H. de T. Phillips, R.G.A., Lieut. M. B. Talbot-Crosbie, R.G.A., the Hon. E. Brabazon, Messrs. B. H. Barrington Kennett, B. de Laborie, F. Hedges Butler, Mr. F. K. McClean, Mr. Alexander Duckham, Messrs. E. V. Sassoon, Howard T. Wright, G. Stanley White, Mr. H. Delacombe, Mr. Tom Sopwith, Miss May Sopwith, Major Wm. Tayleur, Captain B. D. Corbet, Messrs. A. Mortimer Singer, C. Grahame-White, Robert Loraine, General Sir Chas. Egerton, Messrs. Harrington Edwards, N. Chereau, D. Graham-Gilmour, Captain John Benett-Stanford, Messrs. James Valentine, O. C. Morison, H. P. Martin, W. E. Trier, J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon, Hamilton Fyfe, G. Holt Thomas, Captain A. Hume, Messrs. Stenson Cooke, H. Massac Buist, Frank Shorland, S. F. Cody, Dr. Rs Tennant Bruce, Dr. Grainger Stewart, Mr. T. F. Woodfine, Comtesse H. von Rosetas, Mr. Harry Fragson, Mrs. Hewlett, Lieut. T. Snowden-Smith, Messrs. G. Blondeau, Griffith Brewer, Alec. Ogilvie, T. P. Searight, J. C. Mort, G. F. Mort, H. Fletcher Moulton, Harold E. Perrin (Secretary), &c. 110
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