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Aviation History
1913
1913 - 0771.PDF
JULY 19, 1913. deliberate intention to deceive, with a motive of gain, other than self-aggrandisement. I had an instance of this only last week at Hendon. I saw there a lady I knew quite well, who had visited the aerodrome with her mother; and I passed along to speak to them, when I noticed they were in conversation with a gentleman. I stood back a little, waiting till they were disengaged, and although I am not, I hope, an eavesdropper, I could not help catching a word or two that caused me to move closer, and without any feeling of shame listened to his " fairy tales." I think I know most of the pilots within a good few miles of London, with the possible exception of Mr. Fairbain, and I certainly thought I was about to make his acquaint ance. After a moment or two, I was seen, and invited to join the group. As the gentleman still continued his light and airy talk about his " machine down at Brook- lands," and as he seemed quite willing to include me in his audience, I felt justified in asking a few discreet questions, with the result that he suddenly remembered a pressing engagement elsewhere. Another way in which (this time, probably quite ® ® FROM THE BRITISH Brighton-Shoreham Aerodrome. Tuesday of last week Geere testing for circuits at a height of 300 ft. Shaw, Rolshoven and Elliott afterwards out doing straights. Mr. Eric Pashley out on his H. Farman with his brother as passenger. The following morning early, Geere, Shaw and Rolshoven were up on the 45 Green-Avro, and on Thursday Shaw put up some excellent straights, while Elliott succeeded in getting the rolling 'bus off. Friday morning saw some good work, all the Avro pupils being out. In the evening Rolshoven made several high flights, including eights and circuits. Elliott, the new pupil, has shown great improvement, and is progressing very rapidly. Sunday also included brilliant flying, notice of which has been made elsewhere. On Monday all Avro pupils were out, and Rolshoven went for his brevet in the evening. Brooklands Aerodrome. ON Tuesday, last week, Messrs. T. W. Elsdon (Vickers) and Grahame Harris (Bristol) passed their brevet tests in good style. Mr. ILimel gave some fine exhibition flights on Wednesday with and without passengers on his two-seater Bleriot monoplane. On Thursday morning Mr. F. W. Merriam of the Bristol Aviation School, with Mr. Pendlebury, one of his pupils, paid a visit to the St. Nicholas' Home for Crippled Children at Pyrford. The airman arrived over the village flying at a height of about 2,000 ft., and a magnificent spiral descent was made to the unbounded delight of the children who had been looking forward to the promised visit with great interest. Later the airman made a difficult ascent owing to the many obstacles in a restricted area, and, after circling several times round the Home, returned to Brooklands. Mr. Hamel arrived from Hendon on Saturday on his single-seater Bleriot monoplane, making a fine spiral vol plant landing. He then had his two-seater brought out, and set off with the intention of visiting Blenheim Palace, Woodstock (where the Duke of Marl borough was holding a garden party), but he only got as far as Windsor, and had to return to Brooklands owing to engine trouble, his passenger being much disappointed at not being able to be present at the garden party. Mr. Barnwell made some fine flights on a Vickers biplane fitted with a 70 h.p. engine, the machine climbing very quickly and developing a rare turn of speed. Mr. Merriam gave some exhibition flights on his Bristol biplane, and Mr. Harry Hawker (fresh from his hydro-aeroplane triumphs and winning of the Singer prize of ,£500) was testing a new idea in " wind sticks," which proved of no use, on the Sopwith tractor biplane. On Sunday, Mr. Hamel started on his single-seater, but had only gone a few hundred yards when the machine back-fired, owing to a valve going wrong, and a sheet of flame shot out. Mr. Hamel with great presence of mind saved the situation by at once landing, shutting off his petrol, and, jumping out of the machine, twisted the propeller round, thus preventing the fire from spreading. Nothing daunted) Mr. Hamel had his two-seater brought out, and was soon busily engaged in giving passenger flights, in the course of which he gave some fine displays, disappearing from sight in the clouds from time to time, and soaring round at an altitude of 5,000 ft., legitimate) much gain comes to others, indirectly through flying, is by writing aeroplane stories, some of which are too funny for words, Gretna Green and a couple of postchaise have furnished many a poor writer with the wherewithal for a good meal before now, but the time came when editors closed their books against Gretna Green. The aeroplane has now come along at the critical moment. I was reading one of these stories a short time ago, and there was the usual elopment by aeroplane. Un fortunately the lady's father did not possess a park, where the gay Lothair could descend with his machine at midnight and fly away with his naughty lady-love. Little things like this, however, have no terrors for the writer of aeroplane stories Luckily the house had a billiard-room attached, which had a flat roof, and " the skilful pilot descended light as a bird, and putting on his brakes hard, brought the machine to rest with hardly any noise. Gently tapping on the window, he soon had his darling safely strapped in the passenger seat, and, putting on full speed, sailed away into the night, just as lights began to move about the house." ® ® FLYING GROUNDS. from which height he would descend in graceful spiral [curves, and when near the ground would literally put his machine steeple chase fashion at other machines on terra firma, over which he would lightly skim wilhin a few inches. Mr. Barnwell was next out on the 70 h.p. Vickers biplane which he took up to a good height, and on which the winner of the ballot for the free passenger flight— a nurse named Miss Haines, of " Willerton," Weybridge—had a long trip. Mr. Merriam was next on the Bristol biplane on which he got as high as 3,500 ft., when he was quite invisible in the clouds, descending by means of a series of graceful right and left-hand spiral glide=. Mr. Bendall was busy instructing pupils on another Bristol biplane, as too, was Mr. Merriam, and also Mr. Knight on the Vickers biplane. Mr. Barnwell also turned out on the 50 h.p. Bleriot monoplane on which he is thoroughly at home, and went for a long flight. Mr. Hawker was busy testing the Sopwith tractor biplane fitted with ailerons, whilst Lieut. Smith-Barry made some good trips on the record-breaking Sopwith tractor biplane. Mr. Hamel on his two-seater, with a passenger, had a friendly race with Mr. Hawker, from which the former emerged triumphant. Second Lieut. C. Francis Beevor, who took his Royal Aero Club's brevet on a 50 h.p. Gnome Vickers biplane at Brooklands on June 13th, reaching a height of 1,200 ft. whilst doing his figures of eight. 797
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