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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0059.PDF
JANUARY 20, 1912. circuits on the Vickers, which now flies with its tail very high. Hunter was tuning-up the Humphreys monoplane, and later Percival made some really fine flights on his biplane, which, although some what slow, climbs and glides exceedingly well. Ducrocq came out on his Nieuport for a short while late in the afternoon. On Sunday there was not a great amount of flying. The Vickers, however, was out under the pilotage of Kemp and Fisher, and the Spencer and Percival biplanes also took the air. The latter machine, although flying well, made some dangerous looking banked turns. Monday was a bad day for flying, but Duciocq on the Nieuport was out in the morning first thing, and later Pizey was flying. Bristol School.—Wednesday last week Pizey made a trial of the air, but owing to a thick fog coming up, no further flying was done until the afternoon, when he went up with Merrian as passenger. The latter then put in some solo flying. Nesham, when out rolling, made too quick a turn when a few feet from the ground, and tilting over, slightly damaged an aileron. Next morning Pizey was up again, but ound it gusty. Cadet Wheeler then made a long flight. In the afternoon Pizey made a trial of one of the machines after an overhaul of its engine, rising to 1,000 ft. in one circuit and a half He then went with Lane for instruction first in high flying, and then in landing. This pupil is making marked progress. Merrian then flew circuits, making good landingf. Pizey was up at 1,000 ft. with Lane and with Nesham on Friday morning, then with each for landing practice. Merrian again flew circuits very well. In the afternoon exactly the same proceedings were carried out again. On Saturday, Pizey was out first, as usual. He took Lieut. Smith for altitude and low flying practice, following with Lane lor the same purpose. Merrian then flew by himself for ten minutes. In the afternoon Smith and Lane had a further lesson. Merrian and Smith both flew solo, the latter making straight flights with good landings. Lane was out rolling. Pizey then gave Merrian instruc tion in right-hand turns and vol plane's. After this he took up Mr. George Lloyd, M.P., as passenger, who was delighted. The afternoon's flying was started on Sunday afternoon by Pizey taking up Lieut. Smith, he finding the air very disturbed. Subsequently he took up Mr. Ebben a visitor from South Africa. On Monday morning there was no flying, but in the afternoon Pizey was up with Lane and Nesham, for straight and circuit flights, finding the air too disturbed for pupils by themselves. Though Pizey gets an enormous amount of instruction done, he very wisely refuses to run the risk of having the machines smashed by inexperienced pupils in a wind, and he is to be congratulated upon the all-round success of his methods of teaching. Vickers School.—After blowing hard all Thursday morning last week, the weather fined down in the afternoon and the school machine was out with Kemp as pilot, flying five circuits well up about 700 ft. Fisher then took over the machine, and after trying one straight line, did two circuits. Later Kemp again went up and put in three more circuits. It was very foggy early next day, but cleared sufficiently by mid-day to allow a new pupil, Capt. Sykes, to go out rolling for 55 minutes and again in the afternoon for 30 minutes, showing great improvement in the afternoon. On Saturday it was raining hard till 10 a.m. when a change came over the scene, and Kemp had the school machine out flying three circuits about 600 ft. up. Fisher followed with two circuits, and Lieut. Beatty, another new pupil at this school, was out in the afternoon doing straight lines and handling the machine well. Kemp put up three circuits on Sunday afternoon at about 200 ft. up, although a very gusty wind was blowing all day. Ftley School (Blackburn Aeroplane Co.). THE weather has been rather bad for flying during the past week, but some short practice flights have been put in by Brereton and Hunt on the Isaacson-engined Blackburn. Laurence has arrived at Filey where he will remain one or two days, and hopes to get some practice preparatory to taking the machine to Shoreham, where he intends to fly for a few weeks. London Aerodrome, Colllndale Avenue, Hendon. Grahame -White School.—Wednesday last week was foggy all day, and pupils had to confine themselves to the workshops. Next morning the wind was too high for flying, and the afternoon was wet and foggy. Although dull on Friday there was no wind, consequently the school was busy all day, one machine putting in no less than five hours' constant work. The morning's flying commenced by Fowler taking out biplane No. 3 and doing steady straight flights at about 50 ft. Biard was also out, rolling and doing short hops on the beginner's Farman ; Raphaite and Major Liles were also out most of the morning, the latter controlling the machine in fine style. In the afternoon Fowler, Biard, and Major Liles were all making straight flights, [/BGHT] whilst Raphaite and Lieut. Stopford, R.A., put in a great dealiof rolling practice. A notable pupil put in an appearance during the afternoon, to wit, Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith, who, for the edification of himself and the pupils, piloted the old school 'bus several times round the aerodrome, after which the hew school biplane, which was waiting for testing, was brought out and flown by him, Mr. Sopwith later testing her weight-carrying capabilities, taking Mr. R. Gates up. WTeather was again dull on Saturday, but good for school work. In the morning, Fowler, Raphaite and Lieut. Stopford were all out on biplane No. 3, the former making splendid straight flights with excellent landings. He should in another week be ready to take his bm>et. In the afternoon, Lieut. Stopford was out on No. 3 followed by Raphaite, Fowler and Major Liles, the last named making steady flights. Fowler and Gates were out on biplane No. 2 which, with its 50-h.p. Gnome, is about 10 miles an hour faster than No. 3, consequently wants watching more closely. During the afternoon, Handasyde had the Martin-Handasyde out of her hangar and put the engine through a good test, getting 1,380 revolutions per minute out of her on the ground. Monday was bright in the morning, but windy ; in the afternoon, rain and fog started, in spite of which, however, Mr. Tom Sopwith, was out on the Martin-Handasyde for a couple of spins round the aerodrome, getting lost, however, on the Mill Hill side. Considering the weather a bit too thick for pleasant flying he taxied back to the hangars. Next day the morning was windy, and the afternoon wet, so that air work was a neglected quantity. A.S.L. Flying School.—Wind and fog prevented any flying last week until Thursday, when Mr. Barber took the new Viking biplane off the stocks, and subjected the machine to numerous exhaustive tests. Mr. Barber first ran the machine over the ground at high speed in order to thoroughly prove the strength of the landing chassis. He then let the machine have its way into the air and made many very successful flights. She got away from earth after a remarkably short run, and appears to have extraordinary climbing powers. The patent balancers, fully described elsewhere in this issue, proved enormously effective, the slightest movement of the control wheel instantly combating any wind-gust. Altogether the initial trials were an unqualified success. Again on Friday the A.S.L. had a very busy day. In the morning Mr. Barber was out on the Viking, making numerous flights for more than half an hour. In the afternoon it was quite calm but rather foggy, and numberless machines were out, rendering the air very disturl>ed and tricky. Mr. Barber, however, took the Viking up several hundred feet and flew circuits in magnificent style. He was flying the whole afternoon, his landings being wonderfully good, and demonstrated the fine gliding angle of the new machine. The Viking should prove an exceptionally comfortable passenger carrier, for in addition to the almost luxurious cock-pit, Mr. Barber found very little wind pressure on his face, the torpedo front almost completely protecting him from the rush of air. Ridley-Prentice was also flying the Valkyrie monoplane on and off during the afternoon, but the thick fog prohibited a greater altitude than 300 feet. His flights included numerous vol plants in order to keep in sight of terra firma. The fog proved very embarrassing, and Ridley-Prentice deemed it advisable to keep a course outside the boundaries of the aerodrome to avoid flying too close to any other machines. On Saturday, in spite of fog, conditions were fairly good in the afternoon, and Mr. Barber made a trial flight on the school Valkyrie. He flew several circuits, terminating with a faultless glide in front of the hangars. Lieut. Hawker then mounted the same machine and put in an hour's good practice before dark, making excellent straight flights over the whole length of the aerodrome. Bleriot School.—The first days of last week the weather did not allow any of the pupils to get into the air. On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, however, the weather was sufficiently calm to allow good work to be done, all the pupils then making excellent practice. Messrs. Allen, Parr, and Desoutter practised vol plant's from a height of about 300 ft., and landed in true professional style. Messrs. Pothet, Welburn and Clappen did good straight lines, and soon hope to catch up to the others. M. Salmet, the school instructor, put up some of his excellently- made figures of 8 in order to show the pupils the ease in which right and left-hand turns can be made on a BHriot, which he further demonstrated by making two figures of 8 in a quite small space at a height of only about 15 or 18 ft. on his 50-h.p. Gnome Bleriot. W. H. Ewen School.—Great progress has been made during the past week. Taking advantage of every favourable opportunity the school pupils have been much in evidence. Mon. E. Baumann is now able to make splendid straights on the Bleriot with the tail up. On Thursday, W. T. Warren made several good flights at heights of 30 and 50 ft., each time his landings being excellent. He is now able to fly the machine steadily at a regular height con-
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