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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0487.PDF
MAY IO, 1913. Covering the planes. straight for the public-house! I thought, ' My word, here's a nice smash ." But evidently he did not require any refreshment, for he did a tremendous right-hand turn, banking over to about forty-five degrees, missing the inn apparently by inches, and flew straight at the gasworks. Another tremendous right-hand turn (I found afterwards, from a man at the gasworks, that he missed the gas holder by about two feet), and he still lived ! " Yet another right-hand turn, and he was back over the aerodrome, but through not landing squarely broke a skid and carried away a couple of skid-struts—but still smiling. 'How's that?' was his comment. 'Thought I was going to break up their old gasworks.'" Mr. Fowler does not believe in continual rolling tactics for pupils, though he does not, of course, put all pupils through at this speed (Mr. Rainey being, so to Wing making. speak, an unknown quantity), but no time is wasted when making them efficient. A run to the station in his car, with all the aerodrome turning out to see me off and wanting to lend a hand to tuck me in—all helping to push the car along till the speed got too much for them. The last I saw of "Sunshine Rainey" was as one of a group in the middle of the road waving caps. And so back to dear old smoky London. It was still raining when I got out at Victoria, and no doubt Rainey was still smiling. * * * * It has just occurred to me that the business side of my visit, which was to tell something about the aerodrome and its work, has been somewhat eclipsed by Rainey. So now to fill up this blank. The main building, now a workshop, was once a [/jJGNT church, and the late vestry is turned into offices and retiring rooms. There is Mr. Fowler's office; a pupils' dressing-room fitted with cupboards with lock and key, one for each pupil; and a general sitting-room with lots of easy-chairs that AKE easy, writing materials and all "home comforts." The mechanics are not forgotten; they having a nice mess-room all to themselves, in which the things that count have not been overlooked. Some half-dozen hangars, with two more building on the beach for the coming water-planes, form the housing accommodation for the machines, of which at the moment they have five in use: a Bristol biplane, three EM&iott and a new proprietary monoplane, just finished. Three Henry Farman waterplanes are in course of construction, ready for the coming season, on the beach, and should prove a big attraction, besides having a beneficial influ ence on the profits of this enterprising company. The The joiner's shop. aerodrome itself is of immense size, covering some hundreds of acres. Unfortunately it is so placed that it is not very suitable for a "gate " flying ground, as it can be seen from all round. This does not matter much, how ever, as the idea of the company is not so much one of public flying as the turning out of good pilots and, more than all, the building of machines, for which they are so admirably equipped. It is surprising, when one buys a church, what a lot of material there is that can be made use of, and they know how to do it at East bourne. Enough piping was found to enable them to fit the place throughout with acetylene lighting, though they are just about to instal the electric light with their The building of three Henry Farmans. 509 D 2
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