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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0759.PDF
Upavon (Central Flying Schcol). VERY unfavourable weather was experienced during the past week, and only on one day was flying permissible. On Friday morning early Lieut Longmore, R.N., set the ball rolling by a flight •on Short 44, with Staff-Serjt. Thomas as passenger. Capt. Fulton made three short solos on the Avro. The Short 43 was the next machine out, with Capt. Gerrard, R.M.L.I., as pilot, and Capt. Cordner, R.A.M.C., in the passenger's seat. Lieut. Longmore then made another flight with Lieut. O'Connor, fol lowed by one with Staff-Serjt. Thomas for tuition. Capt. Fulton, R.F.A., made several short flights, carrying A.M.'s Hodgson and Higginbottom alternately. On his return, S.-Serjt. Thomas qualified for his brevet on Short 44. Capt. Gerrard made two flights, taking first Asst.-Paymaster Lidderdale, and later, A. M. Barker as ® ® THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS. FROM the London Gazette of August 9th :— Special Reserve of Officers. Royal Flying Corps. Military "Wing.—Robert R. S. Barry to be Second Lieut, (on probation), August loth, 1912. A British Height Record. ON Monday at Salisbury Plain, Mr. de Ilavilland on one of the biplanes designed and built at the Royal Aircraft Factory •considerably improved on the British height record, which has stood at 9,000 ft. since M. Salmet's flight of last November. Mr. de Havilland, however, in the course of a three hour trip went up to 9,500 ft., and was withal accompanied by a passenger, Major F. H. Sykes. The aviators lost their way in the clouds and picked up their bearings at Newbury, Berks, from whence they were able to return to Salisbury Plain. This feat, which is a British record for altitude both with and without passenger, is further referred to else where in this issue. By Hydro-aeroplane up the Thames. ALTHOUGH London was deprived by the appalling weather of the sight of M. Beaumont piloting his hydro-aeroplane up the Thames, the visit of Mr. F. K. McClean more than compensated for the loss. Remembering an appointment in town on Saturday -morning, Mr. McClean thought it would be a good idea to come up on his Short machine, and so at 6 a.m. he had it brought out of its shed at Harty Ferry, in the Isle of Sheppey, and after seeing everything in order he started off. Following the coast round Leysdown, Warden Point to Sheerness, he continued over the Thames. At Gravesend the smoke of the various factories rather troubled the aviator but he made good progress. Approaching London Mr. McClean brought his machine lower down and negotiated the Tower Bridge between the lower and upper spans, but the remaining bridges to Westminster he flew underneath, the water being just touched at Blackfriars and Waterloo bridges. He reached Westminster about 8.30 and was taken ashore to Westminster Pier on a Port of London Launch. The return journey on Sunday afternoon was not so successful -owing to restrictions as to rising from the water which had been imposed by the police. The bridges had all been safely negotiated, and when near Shadwell Basin Mr. McClean started to manoeuvre to get into the air at the point designated by the river authorities. He had made one circuit when the machine side-slipped, and either through hitting a barge or by sudden contact with the water one of the floats was damaged. The machine was then towed into .Shadwell Dock, this operation being superintended by Mr. McClean from the driving seat, and dismantled for its return by road to Eastchurch. Disaster Overtakes M. Beaumont. AFTER waiting for several days at Berons, a suburb six miles west of Paris, " Beaumont," otherwise Capt. Conneau, was able to make a start for London on the 9th inst. His Donnet-Leveque hydro-aeroplane was wheeled down to the water, and at 4.30 a.m. it rose from the Seine for a trial run. Everything was working in -good order, so the pilot did not return but set his course along the Seine for Havre. Passing Meulan, Mantes, Vernon, Gaillon and Caudebec, the machine reached Quillebceuf at 6.40, where a stop was made for replenishments. A quarter of an hour later it was in the air again, and Havre was reached at five minutes to nine, the machine alighting in front of the Casino. The mechanics, hearing of the stop at Quillebceuf, had gone there, so that M. Beaumont had to rely on amateur help at Havre. Some slight damage was done through the machine colliding with the shore, but everything was in -order after lunch when at 2 p.m. a re-start was made for Boulogne, to which a non-stop run of I hr. and 55 mins., without the slightest ^incident, ensued. passengers. Capt. Fulton made three more short flights on the Avro with Asst.-Paymaster Lidderdale, A. M. Harrison and A. M. Hodgson. Lieut.-Col. Cook in the interim took out the Avro for a flight of about 15 minutes' duration. In the evening Lieut. Randall, on Short 44, was the first out. Lieut.-Col. Cook flew the Avro to Lee-on-Solent, two or three of the mechanics of the school following by road. Lieut. Longmore took out Short 44 with O'Connor first and A. M. McNamara after as passengers. During the evening Capts. Fulton and Broke-Smith motored over to Larkhill to bring two more machines to the school. Capt. Fulton was the first back on another Avro biplane, this being the third at the school Capt. Broke-Smith arrived shortly afterwards on Bristol F 7, two machines of this type being over here now. No flying was done on Saturday. ® ® OF TIE WEEH. At Boulogne the enthusiastic fishermen came out to render what assistance they could, but their zealous but unprofessional efforts only resulted in one of the floats being damaged, so that no further progress could be made that day. Repairs were, however, executed over night and on Saturday afternoon M. Beaumont prepared for the cross-Channel trip. The wind buffetted the machine very con siderably and after making a circuit the pilot had to bring his machine down to the water, which was very choppy, Suddenly the biplane was caught by a very strong squall and completely overturned. The pilot was able to swim clear and superintended the towing of the wrecked machine back to the shore. It is to be repaired and M. Beaumont will then make another attempt to fly to London. Mr. Slack's 1,000 Miles Tour Concluded. ON Sunday afternoon habitue's of Hendon were rather a little exercised to see a strange monoplane approaching. It turned out to be Mr. Robert Slack, on his I.C.S. Bleriot monoplane, who had flown over from Rugby by way of concluding his 1,000 miles flying tour round England on behalf of the International Correspondence Schools. He had covered the 70 miles from Rugby in 60 mins. and thus carried out what the I.C.S. undertook to do when he was sent off from Hendon in June. The machine seemed to be little the worse for its arduous work of the past few weeks. Mr. Robert Slack, the LC.S. pilot, in front of his Ble'rlot machine, upon which he on Sunday completed at Hendon his 1,000 miles tour through the Midlands.
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