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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0716.PDF
IftlOHTl tuition to Lieut. Stevenson. Busteed with Mr. Garnett as passenger for several test nights on a tractor biplane. Excellent solos were made by Lieut. Osmond, R.N. (two), Lieut.-Col. Hamilton (two), Lieut. Orton (two), and Air-Mechanic Pratt (two), all with good landings. Capt. Popovici did a good solo on the sociable monoplane. Si-ppe also for a solo on the tractor biplane. vi i rlylng CorPs« 3rd Squadron.—Tuesday of last week was ideal for outdoor work, and plenty of good flying was carried °ut' several of the officers reaching good heights. Lieut. Cholmondeley out on 274 for 20 mins., flying at a height of 3,500 ft. ; Lieut. Wadham made two nights on 203—one of 42 mins., getting to a height of 6,000 ft., also a flight of 17 mins., reaching a height of 3,200 ft. ; Lieut. Roupell on 286, 15 mins. flying at a height of 1,600 ft. ; Capt. Fox made two flights—one of 43 mins., getting to a height of 3,100 ft., and one of 600 ft. ; Mechanic Vates on Blenot monoplane 221, gettirjg to a good height and scouting around the Downs ; Lieut. Porter two flights on 203, one of 20 mins. reaching a height of 3,000 ft.; Lieut. Conran an 1 i-min. flight on 203. On Wednesday, Major Brooke-Popham was out on 203 for 12 mins., at a height of 1,500 ft. Lieut. Wadham made six flights on 203, in one trip getting up to 3,800 ft. Lieut. Roupell mace two short flights on 286. Lieut. Conran on 288. Lieut. Cholmondeley four times on 274. Lieut. Abercombie out for 17 mins. ® ® JULY 5, 1913. on 288. Capt. Fox, on 219 Bleriot, two flights, one of 23 mins. and another of 9 mins., getting to a height of 1,000 ft. and 400 ft. respectively. Air-Mechanic Yates then on Bleriot for 8 mins. Capt. Allen on 203, and Lieut. Joubert de la Ferti on 289. On Thursday Lieut. Porter made two good flights, one of 34 mins., at a height of 2,400 ft., and Air-Mechanic Yates on Bleriot 219, Capt. Allen twice on 203, Capt. Fox on 219, Lieut. Conran on 288, 47 mins., 2,000 ft. Lieut. Wadham left for Cookham. Capt. Fox also out on monoplane 219. On Friday, Lieut. Roupell on 286 with Mr. Jockney. Lieut. Conran on 203, giving his brother a joy ride for 20 mins. Last Monday Lieut. Roupell was on 286 H. Farman with Lieut. Carmichael as passenger. Lieut. Wadham out on the Avro 289 for one hour, finishing with a spiral from 4,000 ft. Capt. Allen twice on BE 203, and Lieut. Stanford, Lieut. Conran on Avro 288 made a fine flight of 2J hours, also one of 45 mins., 1,200 ft. Capt. Allen on BE 203, Lieut Wadham on Avro 289, flew over to Larkhill to observe Air-Mechanic Pratt pass his certificate tests. Lieut. Roupell, with Air-Mechanic Aylen as passenger, on 286, tripped over to Devizes, flying for 45 mins. at 2,000 ft. Lieut. Wadham on Avro 289, 25 mins. By a slip it was stated in last week's notes that Air-Mechanic Powell was out on H. Farman 274. It should have read that he was receiving instruction on the machine. ® ® By THE The Elusive Mr. Fairbairn. I HAVE not yet arrived at the Vichy age, but I am old enough to cease to take any interest in the annual " big gooseberry" that comes merrily along in due season. Nevertheless, I was greatly agitated a short time ago, to hear about a very wonderful machine, with a conning tower, all complete with an engine of goodness knows what horse-power, that had been flying about at Brook- lands and Hendon—places I visit on occasion—and I had known nothing whatever about it. Ever since the magnificent offer of the Daily Mail to the first pilot to cross between England and America, I have been puzzling my poor brain by mentally weighing up the few machines and pilots of which I happen to have heard during this last year or two, and wondering which and who would be the winner. Had I but known it (and I admit in all shame it was my business to have known) here, right under my nose, was the very machine to do the trick, and once more is the prophetic Jules Verne realised. Here is (or rather was) the "Clipper of the Clouds." I know you will say "The Clipper of the Clouds" has been realised before in the shape of airships. Nothing of the kind. Jules Verne's ship, was a real ship, that could either float on the water or fly at command, exactly as this one did; and did not rely on gas, exactly as this one did. I am given to understand that this transatlantic leviathan is somewhere in the neighbourhood of the Swin Middle buoy, but I don't believe it. A man of Mr. Fairbairn's calibre is much too clever to let people know just where he has submerged his machine : there to await the moment, when at the will of its master it shall rise like Venus from the wave, and sail away to glory and a fat cheque. And what a superb idea, this hiding at the bottom of the sea. No doubt people were beginning to notice something different about this machine. Were beginning to want to know who made the 350 h.p. engine, so they could get one like it. Wanted to see the mechanism that worked the opening and closing of the airtight lid. Wanted, in fact, to go pushing their noses in where they were not wanted ; until this clever man, who had so successfully hidden his secret for so long from the vulgar gaze, must needs, like the unhappy mother in the melodrama, steal his child from its cradle, and pass out into the night—to go whither ? Who knows ?—None but the man in the boat. DREAMER. And Mr. Fairbairn himself—where is he? The first news we had was to the effect that the man in the boat had had some trouble to extricate his friend from the forward barbette, and that he had only just managed to get the roof off when, the gasoline pumps having pumped the tanks full of water-ballast, the whole contraption sank beneath the waves. But Mr. Fairbairn was not lost. He had, with his no doubt usual foresight, provided himself with a floating- suit ; and when he had seen his craft comfortably at rest on her bed of sand, he just bubblewubbled up to the surface and swam ashore, his friend evidently in the meantime having gone home to mourn. And now I am all on thorns as to when he will turn up again. He must, of course, give due notice to the authorities before commencing his Anglo-American trip, and I am greatly afraid this will be the first I shall hear of him. Is it Mine to Reason Why ? I have before me the programme of the fete of flowers and aviation at Hendon on June 25th last, and as an artistic production it leaves nothing to be desired. The cover is a wealth of red, white and green, and depicts a battle royal of flowers in mid air, by ladies and gentle men in machines, the exact make of which does not seem to be familiar, but they look very pretty, and any stranger seeing this cover would wish he had been there to see the actual performance. I see, too, that the proceeds were to be devoted to charity, and I hope charity gained very considerably as a result. The inside pages are of good art paper, and well represented from the " space merchant's " point of view, which with the sixpence charged for the book should have helped to swell the grand total to some extent. Being " Press " I got my copy for nothing, and I know I am looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I am essentially a grumbler. I have been told since that the decorated procession of motor cars was something of an outside nature got up by somebody else, and not really directly connected with the London Aerodrome people, although it was so worked as to fit in with the day's proceedings, but on page 10 of the programme I find the announcement set out in cold type, and headed London Aerodrome, Hendon, saying that the procession would " pass Marble Arch House on their way to Hendon about 10.15 a.m." I wanted to 742
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