FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0222.PDF
PEGHT] special cancelling die was cut in the postal workshops at Aligarh and the accompanying photograph shows an envelope which contains a letter transmitted by this novel means. Quite a large number of the letters which arrived by the Indian mail on Saturday last bear this novel postmark, and doubtless when this mode of carrying mails is a thing of ordinary routine, these early mementoes will have considerable interest attaching to them as historical souvenirs. Mr. Morison at Shoreham. ALTHOUGH MI. Morison was unable to accept the invitation to lunch on Saturday with the Rev. H. B. Bowlby, Headmaster of Lancing College, he determined to fly over during the day provided weather conditions were favourable. Accordingly at 4.15, the gusty wind having died down, Mr. Morison left the Shoreham Aerodrome, steering straight for the college. Arriving there he made three wide circles above the building then gradually descend ing in a series ot spirals on to the college cricket ground. The restricted space at this landing point was the cause of a slight mishap, the machine running into a hillock and damaging the elevator, as a result of which it was deemed inadvisable to attempt to fly back to the aerodrome. Mr. Morison, after tea with the Headmaster, spent some time explaining the various parts of his machine to the pupils at the college. Proposed London to Bedford Flight. GREAT interest is being taken in Bedford in the proposal that two old boys of Bedford Grammar School, Messrs. Barber and Chambers, should fly from London to Bedford on Valkyrie monoplanes. The start will take place from the London Aerodrome at Hendon, while the finishing point will be the sports field at Kimlx>lton Road. ® ® FROM THE BRITISH Brooklands Aerodrome. A BRIGHT evening on Tuesday last week with a light north-east wind tempted several machines out for work. Mr. Sopwith, who was carrying passengers, had a narrow escape when carrying Miss Smith. He was just coming round the corner at the back of the sheds when his engine started to missfire badly, but he just managed to land on the ground near his shed. Mr. Astley took Mr. Hamel and Mr. Sassoon up on the "Big Bat." Mr. Astley, who handles this machine well in the air, has not yet had time to completely master the trick of landing the machine to the best advantage. Mr. W. H. Dolphin was out on the Hanriot and showed very steady progress, and Mr. Ducrocq made flights with and without passengers. Mr. Pixton was making straight trips on the Avroplane with an eleven stone passenger. Wednesday was a busy day, and a fair number of people watched the flying. M r. Sopwith was up in the morning with Mr. Hamel as passenger, but his engine was not up to the mark, and for the same reason he could not do much with his monoplane. A puffy wind sprang up about lunch time. Mr. Kemp came out and made a trial flight before going for his certificate. Finding that the machine made light of the wind, he decided to take his chance. He rose rapidly and commenced making figures of eight, which are part of the test flights under the new rules. After two had been negotiated the machine suddenly dived and came down in a spiral from a height of some 300 feet. Mr. Kemp, who could be seen struggling with the control to right the machine, just managed to cleverly stop the downward plunge as the machine neared the ground. The undercarriage was swept away and all the planes were damaged, but the body was unbroken. Mr. Kemp was unscratched. The fall was caused by the left-hand planes buckling and the warping being too powerful for the rudder. Mr. Dolphin was next out on the Hanriot and made several very good short flights, and Mr. Watkins was busy carrying passengers, taking up Captain Maitland, Mr. Fisher and a lady passenger. Mr. Sassoon had a try with the Sommer, which has been entirely rebuilt since its smash a few weeks back. The engine was not up to the mark and the machine was soon in trouble. He started off and rose to about 30 ft., evidently with the intention of flying over the river, but the engine gave out just before the river was reached. There not being room to turn, the machine struck a mound which carried away half the undercarriage and broke the propeller. The machine jumped into the bushes which grow on the side of the river and remained perched among the branches, Mr. Sassoon having a narrow escape from a ducking. The undercarriage, elevator, outriggers and lower plane were broken up. Mr. Macfie made a short flight on his biplane, and then handed the machine over to Mr. Valentine who made a circuit on it at a height of 60 ft. MARCH IS, 1911. The Hawkins-Ogilvie Aeroplane at Winchester. AT last Captain Hawkins and Mr. Bertram Ogilvie have over come their engine troubles, and before the end of the present month they hope to be able to conduct some tests in actual flights with their aeroplane. Last week the machine was out in the open, and in the course of some rolling practice the automatic balancing apparatus gave complete satisfaction, and it is hoped before very long the machine will be able to carry out the long promised cross-country flight to Shorncliffe. Aviation in the Isle of Man. Now that the motor car race has been dropped from the pro posed programme of the Douglas Jubilee celebrations, increased attention is being given to the matter of the flying events. It is hoped to organise a three days' display, while an endeavour is being made—possibly bearing in mind the hare and the tortoise race—to organise a race round the island between two aeroplanes and the steamer " Ben-my-Chree." Engineers and Draughtsmen Wanted. ENGINEERS, draughtsmen and others with recognised qualifications in their own field of work, who are anxious to enter the aeroplane industry, are invited to send their names, in confidence, to the Editor of FLIGHT. We have frequent applications for first-class men and have, in consequence, decided to maintain a confidential register of those holding or desirous of holding responsible positions in this new movement. We consequently invite all those who would like to have their names entered in this register, for which there is no fee, to communicate with us. ® ® FLYING GROUNDS. Practically no flying was possible on Thursday owing to the wind. In the morning Lieut. Boothby made his first essay on the HanrioU and rolled for half an hour. In the afternoon Mr. Macfie went for a flight down the ground, but found the wind very puffy and so returned to his shed. Friday was a blank day owing to the high wind. A calm but misty day resulted on Saturday. One of the best flying days this year, however, was witnessed by a large gathering. Practically every machine that was ready at the time came out, and a very large number of passengers were carried. Mr. Billing was at work in the morning and flew a circuit with his new E.N.V. installed. The afternoon was a time of excitement, as the aviators from Hendon were expected. Mr. Ducrocq had a busy afternoon with passengers, as had Mr. Watkins. Mr. Sopwith carried several lady passengers, and made several high flights. Once he had rather a narrow escape, while making a very fine vol plane from about ICO ft. On approaching the ground he found that he was hardly inside the track, and his engine failing to start again it was only by expert management that he succeeded in landing on the flying ground. Mr. Astley, who has now learned the art of effectively landing this machine, made several fine trips round the ground with passengers on " Big Bat." Mr. Martin soon after was espied approaching from over the tree tops. The Grahame-White " Baby" seems to have a good turn of speed. Mr. Martin was much admired for the ease with which he started back. He made none of the usual preliminary circuits, but just rose and made straight for the railway, being soon lost to sight. Mr. Ducrocq made a start for Hendon, but lost himself and had to turn back. There was considerable excitement when Hamel arrived from Hendon on his Bleriot. He was keeping at a good height, and came down en vol plane. Mr. Hamel, as is known, made best time both ways. Mr. Blondeau and Mr. Snowden-Smith were during the afternoon flying on the former's machine. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were all blank days owing to the inclement weather. Laffan's Plain. ON Wednesday, March 8th, Mr. de Havilland carried out some rolling practice with the Farman, which appeared to be slightly out of trim. Capt. Burke then took orer the machine, but finding that the tuning-up was not to his satisfaction the work was brought to an end. Mr. S. F. Cody made several trips over the balloon factory, including two passenger flights—one with Major Sir A. Bannerman, and another with Mr. J. Bett. Mr. Bett's weight is 17 stone, and Mr, Cody's 16 stone 3 lbs. 224
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
