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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0326.PDF
% I/UGHT] APRIL 13, 1912. of the mark posts, quite a .massive structure of wood, had been toppled completely over. In spite of the very unsuitable conditions all roads leading to the aerodrome were black vith visitors, and although people intending to enter the aerodrome were warned that under no circumstance could flight be guarante'-'d, the enclosures were soon comfortably filled. And Grahame-White did not mean to disappoint them.. At half past three it was 'announced from the Judges' box that he would " parade" a Farman biplane. The machine in question was brought out with Grahame-White in the pilot's seat and held down to the ground by two mechanics at each wing-tip and two near the skids. Even at that, the machine threatened to blow over. To run the machine over the ground against the wind the engine had to be kept going all out the whole time, and even then the machine did not exceed the running pace of the mechanics who kept it from leaving the ground. In one of these runs up the aerodrome it really seemed as if the machine lifted all seven off the ground for a moment. After parading the machine before the enclosures in order to give the public an opportunity of grasping the nature of an aeroplane at close quarters, Grahame-White decided to attempt a short flight. With his chief engineers Carr and Law standing one on each skid, he started up into the wind, and flew for about 200 yards at a height of 10 ft. Even for this short distance he seemed to be in the air for quite one minute, so the speed of the wind can be readily estimated. Two more flights of the same order did he make. At the ter mination of his third the wind caught him, and made him bump rather heavily from about 10 ft., an incident which made it evident that there is more strength in the Farman chassis than is at first apparent. As regards this section of the machine the only replacement necessary was one rubber shock-absorber. In his exertions to keep the machine on an even keel, Grahame- White had smashed up the pilot's seat and considerably bent his foot rudder-bar. An interval was called while these were being replaced, and then, with Lewis Turner sitting on the cellule to his right, and Carr to his left, he taxied the machine over to the far side of the ground, in order to get in a longer flight. He turned up into the wind and got off the ground. When he was about 10 ft. up, a gust caught him under the left side of the cellule, and no amount of manipulation of the levers could bring the machine back to the horizontal. It slipped down on to its right tip, and on to the right hand corner of the elevator, and blew right over. Grahame-White and Turner jumped clear, and the machine passed right over their heads. Carr being on the side that was rising, hung on for his life and went right over with the machine, eventually crawling out from underneath the wreckage, his face M. Salmet and Mr. Sopwith discussing prospects of flying in the gale at Hendon Flying Meeting. wreathed in smiles. After all, there was really not much danger in the incident, for the wind was about equal to the flying speed of the machine, and its speed relative to the ground at that moment was practically nil. Of the three, Grahame-White was the only one who suffered anything apart from stiffness, and that only to the extent oi a sprained ankle, from which he had recovered the following day. „' uKlHEnMISLHAP IN 7HE GALE TO GRAHAME-WHITE'S BIPLANE AT HENDON ON EASTER MU«UAY.-Un the top of the overturned machine are seen Messrs. Grahame-White, Lewis Turner, and Hamel. 326
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