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Aviation History
1911
1911 - 0680.PDF
JOGHT] strong. Meanwhile Capt. Hamilton, who has been improving very rapidly, was making some straight flights, and Mr. Slack indulged in some rolling practice. On Monday last Mr. Dyott qualified for the last tests for his brevet. He is a very keen and careful pilot, and handles the Bleriot machine with considerable skill, his descents en vol plane being particularly worth watching, along with his delicate landings. In the evening Capt. Hamilton was making a few good circuits round the aerodrome, and the other pupils were also practising on the School machines. Valkyrie School.—Mr. Barber, on Tuesday last week, had out one of the "Type B " military monoplanes fitted with a 50-h.p. Gnome engine, and made a very pretty flight of about twenty minutes duration, during which an altitude of about 1,200 ft. was attained, and various evolutions carried out. Mr. Newman, of Cambridge, had a passenger flight, and expressed himself as •delighted. Next day Mr. Barber was out again with the same machine, giving Mr. G. Nicholson, of the War Office, an extended flight at a good altitude. The latter end of the trip was made during a thunderstorm, but the machine behaved with remarkable steadiness. Heavy rain then commencing, a descent had to be made. In the •evening the Valkyrie School pilot was out and put up a very interesting exhibition for a kinematograph firm, later on Mr. Andrews having a passenger flight. Mr. Scott Brown ascended on one of the machines wiih his kinematograph apparatus on Thursday, and made an extended flight over the surrounding district. Quite a tricky wind was blowing, but no difficulty was experienced in handling the apparatus, although it was Mr. Scott Brown's first experience as a passenger. In the afternoon Mr. Barber ascended with Miss Eleanor Trehawke Davies as a passenger, and quickly ascending to a height of 600 ft. or 700 ft. made a fine cross-country flight in the direction of Harrow, from there towards Ealing, over Hendon and the "Welsh Harp," and back to the aerodrome, by which time the machine was at an altitude of about 2,000 ft. A fine vol plane descent was made, and at the expiration of the flight great interest was taken in an account of -the flight which Miss Davies had written while in the air. The writing was quite clear, and a facsimile reproduction of the account appears elsewhere in this issue. Several other passengers were then taken up, and also a fine exhibition of figure flying carried out, including numerous spiral vol plant! descents and sharp right- and left-hand turns. Miss Davies, whose flight the preceding evening had filled her with great enthusiasm, arrived on Friday at the aerodrome soon after 5 a.m., and quickly ascended to a height of over a thousand feet, when another magnificent cross-country flight was made over and past Harrow to the Thames, returning to the aerodrome with Ealing, Acton and the White City on the right. It was a glorious morning, and only those who have experienced cross-country flying in perfect weather can understand its exhilaration. Several other passengers were then given flights at altitudes ranging from 200 ft. Mr. Barber flew altogether about 2| hours. The Valkyrie was very strong on the wing in the evening, Mr. Cobb, weighing about 14 st., ascending as a passenger, and the tanks holding sufficient oil and petrol for a go mile flight. The machine lifted easily, and with the extra weight was steadier than ever, and also seemed to be somewhat faster. , Mr. Cobb was delighted, and, like many others, he is now determined to take up cross-crountry flying. Several other passengers ascended, and Mr. Barber also made a fine solo flight in his usual excellent style. The Valkyrie was out again next day, this time Mr. W. Ridley- Prentice ascending as a passenger, for a cross-country flight of about ten or twelve miles. Mr. Ridley-Prentice weighs about 12 st., and with the fuel tanks full, no difficulty was experienced in rising to a height of 2,000 ft. Mr. Newman also had a further experience in an extended flight. Mr. Barber was also flying for over an hour. Miss Trehawke Davies showed renewed enthusiasm by arriving at the Aerodrome at 5 a.m. on Sunday, for another flight just as the Valkyrie machines were being brought out of the sheds, but owing to a very gusty wind Mr. Barber remained within the limits of the aerodrome, making several circuits. Later Capt. Loraine was taken for a short flight. Though the anemometer registered 22 to 25 miles an hour, Mr. Ridley-Prentice was taken up to an altitude of 100 ft., making two circuits. Mr. Ridley-Prentice, who recently qualified as a pilot on a Farman machine, on descending, commented on the remarkably slight movement of the controls required to meet the strong gusts encountered on the trip. The wind remained high all day till 7 p.m., when Mr. Barber gave another fine demonstration, flying for ij hrs. altogether. Extended flights over the surrounding country in every direction were given to Miss Meeze, Mr. Livingston, and Mr. Ridley Prentice at various altitudes to 2,000 ft. AUGUST 5, 1911. Salisbury Plain. THE expected arrival of the competitors in the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week caused the Plain to be invaded by a large crowd of people, and on Tuesday it was estimated that the number present was between 2,000 and 3,000. In the morning Mr. Fleming gave several exhibition flights on his Bristol biplane, and his sharp turns, switchbacking and vol planes with both hands off the lever evoked loud applause. Both he and M. Jullerot were continually giving lessons to the Bristol pupils, and as the crowd increased during the day they were kept interested by further exhibition flights. A large proportion of the crowd spent the night on the Plain, and members of the Bristol School were out the next morning at 3 a.m. giving exhibition flights. Up to 6 o'clock M. Jullerot was giving lessons to pupils, and then took up the Daily Mail corre spondent with a view to looking for " Beaumont" and Vedrines. After circling around the Plains for an hour at a height of 2,000 ft., during which Vedrines had landed, "Beaumont" was sighted. They at once headed off to meet him, and came down at half-past eight, by which time M. Jullerot's total time in the air for the several flights amounted to four and a half hours. Mr. Fleming during this time gave several exhibition flights, one concluding with a spiral vol plane" from a height of 1,500 ft. As soon as Vedrines was sighted he went off to meet him, and escorted him in. On Thursday the instructors were again busy with the Bristol pupils, Capt. Watt flying to West Down and back. In the evening M. Jullerot took five different pupils for passenger flights, and Capt. Watt made the first tests for his certificate. Mr. H. Busteed and Mr. Fleming were both instructing pupils, the latter taking among others Prof. Petavel. On Friday the proceedings again started at 3 a.m., and M. Jullerot gave several of the pupils half an hour's flight. Capt. Watt completed his tests for his certificate by 8 o'clock. M. Jullerot started off with Prof. Petavel and- covered 40 miles across country in one minute over the hour. Later in the day M. Jullerot, Busteed and Hotchkiss were busy giving instruction, and after a final lesson from the last mentioned Mr. Lawrence started off his brevet tests and completed them satisfactorily in 23 minutes, a result on which he was warmly congratulated. A very fine exhibition flight was made by Mr. Busteed, the banking at the turns being very sharp. Captain Fulton was also out and made one or two useful flights on one of the Army machines. On Saturday the work was of the usual school order, although there was a good deal of wind, one of the most notable trips being that made by M. Jullerot with Capt. Stewart when the wind was blowing 25 miles an hour. On Sunday the wind was too rough for air work, but M. Jullerot had his machine brought out, and made a short flight to please the crowd. On Monday the proceedings were opened by Mr. Busteed, who was followed by Mr. Fleming and M. jullerot, each of them giving lessons to pupils. Col. Smeaton [also made two useful circular flights. In the evening Messrs. Jullerot, Fleming, Busteed and Hotchkiss were all giving lessons, while M. Jullerot put a new Renault-engined Bristol.through its paces during a 30-minute flight, after which it was handed over to the Air Battalion. Col. Smeaton also made a good flight round the camps, while Prof. Petavel progressed as far as straight flights. Tuesday was too boisterous for- flying and so work was confined to the sheds. ® ® ® ® "FLIGHT" IN PARLIAMENT-ITS UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION. MR. SANDYS asked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether, in view of the fact that it was recently officially stated, with reference to the reported construction of a new Army biplane, that certain experiments were being made, but that it was not desirable to give any particulars, he is aware that, in an issue of FLICHT, photographs and drawings purporting to represent the biplane appeared, together with a detailed description ; whether these are in fact photographs of the biplane, and if so why information should be given to the Press which cannot be communicated to the House of Commons. Colonel Seely said the occasion referred to was an experimental one, with the view of obtaining information on some points for the Advisory Committee. In no sense was the machine a new Army biplane ; no information on the subject had been given to the Press, and it was not known how the information had been obtained. Mr. Sandys asked why such information should have been allowed to leak out. Colonel Seely said he had read the articles. He was in a position to say that none of the information given to the Press was of a confidential nature. He was inquiring how this communication to the Press came to be given, and he would certainly deal with it.— Westminster Gazette, fuly zyh. 682
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