FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0356.PDF
[/ycST] APRll 22, I9H. FLYING IT will be remembered that at the end of November last The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company appointed a Commission, consisting of Mr. Farnall Thurstan (Manager), Mr. Henry M. Jullerot as chief pilot, and Mr. Bendall and Mr. Webb as mechanics, to visit India to undertake experi ments in flying there. Mr. Jullerot, who was the most active member of the Commission, at any rate as regards actual flying, has just returned and has given his experiences to a correspondent:— "- We went first of all to Calcutta, and had a very warm reception indeed from the civil and military authorities. The Indian newspapers were very cordial, particularly as we were Bristolians, as the proprietor of The Times of India, the largest newspaper in Calcutta, Dr. Reed, is himself a Bristolian, and altogether we could not have started in more favourable circumstances. Shortly after our arrival we were introduced to the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, Sir O'Moore Creagh, who was keenly interested in our mission, as was Sir Douglas Haigh, Chief of Staff. The Commander- in Chief at once suggested our preparing a lecture on >'- Aviation in its Military Aspects," and my first public appearance in Calcutta was when I delivered this lecture to several hundred officers in the hall at Fort William, Calcutta. " By January 6th our machines were ready, and having obtained from both the civil and military authorities per mission to make use of the Maidan racecourse for flying, we commenced operations. The Maidan racecourse is pro bably the finest course in the world, and I shall never forget the sight of it as it appeared on January 6th. There were present the Viceregal Party, Sir Edmund Baker (Governor of Bengal) and Lady Baker, Sir O'Moore Creagh (Commander- in-Chief) and Lady Creagh, and all the chief officers of the civil and military services. The crowd was absolutely a record one. It consisted at the very lowest estimate of 700,000 people, Europeans, Eurasians and natives, the whole population of Calcutta and the neighbourhood having turned out. As I flew some thousand feet in the air over this dense crowd I could see them covering the ground and swarming in the trees, the only clear part being the green strip of the racecourse itself. I have never heard so strange a noise in all my life as the screaming and yelling and cheering with which these 700,000 people expressed their delight. It made the roar of the engine seem quite insignificant. " I was using the ' Bristol' military biplane, and I flew from the racecourse over this ocean of heads to Fort William* The fort, seen from a thousand feet in the air, appeared to be a small stone star set in the earth. Passing over the fort I continued my flight in the direction of the cathedral, and then went back to the grand stand of the racecourse, and after a few laps round the course gave an exhibition of more tricky flying such as spiral vol plant's and the like, much to the delight of the crowd. It was the first absolutely successful flight they had ever seen, and at first they seemed to regard me as a kind of incarnated air-god. Later on, however, they became less overawed, and would come out and look at the machine and sit hour after hour in the hope of seeing me fly. My first flight was rather short, as the heat of the noonday sun made it impossible to start until fairly late in the afternoon, and the darkness came on so quickly without any twilight, and the mist of the Hoogly river rose so very rapidly just before dark, that the first exhibition of flight had to be somewhat curtailed. Her Excellency Lady Hardinge was kind enough to come to me when I landed and congratulate me upon my flight. She took a very great interest in the explanations I gave her regarding the working of the machine. " A few days later we were invited to meet the military authorities with the view of participating in a big cavalry concentration in the Deccan. By the good offices of the railway company we were able to get our machines trans ported in a very short time indeed to the seat of operations, about 1,300 miles from Calcutta. " From this time I determined to make only passenger cross-country flights. This kind of flying is, perhaps, a little more risky than flying solus, but it demonstrates far better the qualities of the machine. The operations at Aurungabad were extremely important. No fewer than ten Generals IN INDIA. attended for the express purpose of making a report on the utility of the aeroplane in military manoeuvres. In company with Captain Brancker I made a large number of cross country flights for military reconnaissance purposes. Captain Brancker provided himself with a map, which he placed on my back, and a compass and sketch-block, and thus observed the disposition of the opposing forces. On January 16th we made a very big reconnaissance, a cross-country flight lasting 45 mins., and I believe at that time it was a British record for a cross-country flight with a passenger. *' Unfortunately, the following day my petrol was ex hausted. Not wishing to be idle I went to an Indian bazaar to endeavour to replenish it, but the stuff they gave me was perfect rubbish, and as a result, although I was able to get into the air, I could get no power out of the motor, and Captain Brancker and I dropped to earth before we had mounted very high. We managed to fall very gently, however, and only damaged the machine very slightly, while Captain Brancker, when I looked to see whether he had suffered injury, was quizzing me through his monocle, which, had remained undisturbed in his eye. " At the end of these manoeuvres we went back to Calcutta, but only for a short time, for we were soon afterwards officially ordered to participate in the Northern Manoeuvres. The- Chief of the General Staff especially commanded a Staff Officer from Simla to attach himself to us with Captain Brancker and make a thorough report on the use of aero planes in army manoeuvres. We went to Karghpur, which is, I should think, one of the worst spots possible for flying purposes. It was nothing but rocks and jungle. An old polo ground partly covered with bushes was the only suitable place for starting and landing. I succeeded, however, several times with cross-country flights with passengers, travelling 15 and 18 miles each time in connection with the infantry manoeuvres. " In that part of India I had to struggle very often against very high winds. We started frequently in an absolute calm atmosphere, but as soon as we reached a height of about 1,800 ft. we encountered very strong currents. We came back once from a reconnaissance at a speed of 65 m.p.h., which, as the speed of the machine is about 40 m.p.h., neces sarily involved a wind blowing at 25 m.p.h. behind usi Another day, flying at Karghpur, we were completely sta tionary in the air for the space of at least half a minute. I had to drop carefully for several hundred feet in order to get out of the air current. It was a kind of emotion which I should not like to experience very often, although I do not imagine there was really much danger. " During the whole of our stay in India we never made use of any sort of hangar. Our machines were erected out in the open, and stayed week after week exposed by day to' the sun with a heat of over ioo° F., while at night the tem perature dropped to the other extreme. In spite of this, however, the wood of the machines was not the least bit affected, and not the least warping took place in any parts I am bringing back with me the old machine which belonged to Captain Dickson, in which you remember he took part in the army manoeuvres in England last year, and which was with me throughout all those demonstrations in India, and' although it was in just the same condition in India as it was- in England, it was not affected in the least by the change of climate. I can only confirm what I said six months ago before I started—that with a ' Bristol ' machine I would go anywhere. I did, and I would do so again, with perfect confidence. " One great advantage in India is that you can gauge the weatherfrom day to day in a manner impossible in England, It is quite possible to make an appointment for a flight four or five days ahead, knowing perfectly well that the weather will remain settled. If any change in the weather is coming there is always ample sign of it several days in advance^ The winds are sometimes very strong, but absolutely regular. The heat is very trying. I never felt the slightest cold while in the air in India, and in fact most of the time I flew in tennis kit. " From the home point of view the tour was most successful. In so far as India is concerned at present the name ' Bristol' is almost synonymous with aeroplane ; in fact, I have been asked the question,'- Do you fly a monoplane or a Bristol ?'"
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
