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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0588.PDF
(AJG"I) FLYING AT THE first night flying demonstration held in the summer season took plate on Thursday of last week and included some novel items. Early in the evening numerous exhibi'ion and passenger flight< were made, the machines looking very fascinating in the semi-darkness and against the rose-tinted western sky, especially the Handley Page monoplane, which, under the pilotage of E. Whitehouse, put up some good passenger work. Two excellent flights were made by E. Cheeseman <>n the 35-h p. Anzani- Ble>iot monoplane, and Oustav Hamel took up a passenger on the 2-seater Bleiiot, after which he made a solo flight on the single-seater, J. L. Hall was also out on his 5oh.p. Bleriot, getting in some very creditable "stunt" flying. On one occasion he made a flight accom panied by Capt. T)rer, who sat up on the Juselage immediately behind Hall j the machine carried its extra weight in good style, and did not appear to have any difficuby in rising. K. Slack, also on a BleYiot, and Jules Nardini on his 50-h.p. Gnome- 1'• !" rdus<.in monoplane, both made a flight each, whilst Louis Noel and Marcus D. Manton were busy testing the G.-vV. machines prior to their nocturnal duties. In the meanwhile the enclosures were l>eing illuminated by hundreds of small fairy lights, and the pylons were also lit up. Shortly af er 8.30 p.m., Claude Grahame- White made a flight on the 50-h.p. Grahame-White biplane, which was decked out with a number of tiny electric lamps, arranged along the leading edges of the planes, and on the outriggers ; port and larboard lights were also carried. Current for these lamps was supplied by a battery of C.A.V. accumulators carried on the machine. The next flight was made by Louis Noel on the I.. W.-Maurice Farman biplane, and Marcus D. Manton fol lowed him shortly after on the 50-h.p. Grahame-White biplane ; both machines were illuminated as previously described. Noel and Manton flew several circuits of the aerodrome, frequently switching their lights off so that the machines almost completely disappeared in the darkness, and then switching on again, re appearing where one least expected to see them. Several such lli^hts were made by these pilots until nearly ten o'clock, the move ments of the machines being followed by powerful searchlights, JUNE 7, 1913. HENDON. which were mounted on the hangars. Capt. Penfold, the Australian aeronaut, then ascended in his balloon, and after igniting some coloured signal lights, descended in his parachute, landing safely in the aerodrome. After this Joseph Wells and Sons gave a firework display, and at the same time the Willows " dirigible," illuminated by elec ric lights, made its way across the aerodrome with all the searchlights centred upon it. It was " diriged " by means of a motor car and tow-ropes, but, nevertheless, looked very realistic as it circled about. Louis Noel ascended in the Maurice Farman biplane, and flew round about the airship. This last bit was quite the most striking event of the night, the smoke from the fireworks, which still hung about the aerodrome, adding a finishing touch to the picture. While the airship was being docked, Jules Nardini came out on his 50 h. p. Deperdussin monoplane, which was brilliantly illuminated, and made a splendid flight, finishing up with an excellent landing. He wound up the proceeding of the night with another flight shortly before 11 o'clock. Although a large number of visitors turned up, the attendance was not so large as on the last two occas-ions of night flying, owing no doubt, to the late hour at which it now gets dark. THE WILBUR WRIGHT MEMORIAL DAY MEETING. There was a great change in the weather conditions on Saturday last, for, besides being much colder, the wind was behaving in a very nasty manner, blowing at about 35 to 40m.p.h. The cross-country handicap and the speed handicap down on the programme could not, therefore, be flown, but some very fine demonstrations of wind fighting were witnessed instead. Pierre Verrier, for instance, made a fine cross-count y flight wiih a passenger on the Aircraft Co.'s 50-h.p. Maurice Farman biplane. He flew out to Harrow Churchy round the f pire and then back, being to-sed about by the wind in an alarming manner. He made several other flights during the- afternoon, some of which were with passengers. Louis Noel also took up several passengers on the G.-W.-Maurice Farman biplane, and later in the evening Claude Grahame-White, with Noel as An impression of the illuminated night thing and Wil'.ows^^^^wSoT 6lO
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