FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1912
1912 - 1134.PDF
JycHT] DECEMBER 7, 1912. THE "WATER HEN »» THIS interesting hydro-biplane, which has been flying almost daily throughout the past year over Lake Windermere, may be said to have originated at Blackpool way back in 1909. This, perhaps, seems rather curious, since as far as our mind takes us back, power-driven flying machines to rise from water were scarcely even dreamt of at that time. It happened in this way. Most of those who now constitute the Lakes Flying Company were present at that memorable meeting. One of their number, Mr. E. VV. Wakefield was more than usually struck by the amount of damage that was done through a machine, its pilot, or both, hitting solid ground. It occurred to him that if a machine could be made to rise from and alight on water and remain for the whole time over that liquid element, the chances of fatalities arising from accidents could be most effectively and materially reduced. But at that time everyone was sceptical. The whole thing was impossible! It stood to reason that the friction and resistance of a hydroplane-float skimming over water would be infinitely greater than that of wheels running over ground. Further than that, as soon as the motor was started, would not the thrust of the propeller, necessarily high up between the planes threaten to push the nose of the float under water? But, nothing daunted by general adversity of opinion, Mr Wakefield and a few of his personal friends decided, at any rate, to make a sporting effort at producing a successful water flying-machine. The experiments of M. Henri Fabre, at Monaco, with his extraordinary hydro-monoplane, and those of Glen Curtiss, in the United States of America, with his float-equipped biplane, were closely followed, and they taught many lessons. Then, again, Mr. Oscar Grosspelius had constructed a Bleriot-type monoplane on a broad float, which, being underpowered, had not, at that time, been successful in getting off the water. From it also many invaluable lessons were learnt, and so, having collected and tabulated a goodly collection of data by the summer of 1911, Mr. Wakefield commissioned Messrs. A. V. Roe and Co. to build for him a biplane of the Curtiss type. This was fitted with a single narrow float, much after the same style and shape as- that fitted to the Curtiss machines in America. It, however, embodied several improvements that had resulted from the independent experiment. THE " WATER HEN " WELL UP OVER LAKE WINDERMERF 1 .u *'?'' h *"*"* and S°"' Bow"'ss- HWBKB8KB.-IUM, the machine just after leaving the water. 1134
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
