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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0814.PDF
[film Mr. Ridley Prentice, who has been on a voyage to South America, as mentioned at the time of his departure some weeks since, returned to this country a few days ago. A second glance at Mr. Prentice is hardly necessary to realise the enormous benefit which has resulted from his well-earned holiday. Although Mr. Ridley Prentice was under doctor's orders not to worry his mind with business cares, he was unable to keep his thoughts entirely from matters aeronautical, and apparently could not resist the temptation of perusing FLIGHT, as evidenced by a photograph on this page taken in the South Atlantic on board ship. With Mr. Prentice looking and—he tells me—feeling so fit, things may be expected to hum even more than they are already doing at the " G. A. C." XXX A good many strange things happen to a pilot in the course of his career, but one of the oddest occurrences which have come to my knowledge struck Louis Noel recently when he was flying from Paris to Folkestone accompanied by Miss Trehawke Davies, in the latter's Ble>iot. In the neighbourhood of Abbeville, Noel had to come down in order to get his bearings, as mist and rain clouds prevented him from seeing the ground. A landing was successfully effected, but as the machine was running along the ground, Noel discovered—too late—a barbed wire fence right in front. The Bleriot charged the fence, but by an extraordinary stroke of luck the propeller, which was still revolving, happened to be in a horizontal position for the short fraction of a second necessary for it to pass over the fence wire, so that no damage was done beyond a few scratches on the back of the propeller. And it was but a few minutes before Noel and Miss Davies were on their way again making for the French coast. XXX In connection with Mr. Manton's visit to Leagrave last week, his mechanic Mr. Marmaduke Marsden had an unpleasant experience which also had its humorous side. Not being able to find a reliable night watchman JULY 31, 1914. to guard the machine in its tent, he elected to do the job himself. During the night, however, it came on to rain very heavily, and the rain found its way into the tent right on the spot where Marsden was sleeping. He was quickly drenched to the skin, and the aeroplane itself was getting very wet before he found the owner of the tent to repair the leaks. The night was still young and being a long way from dry garments he divested himself of his clothing, and improvised a suit composed of two sacks, tearing out holes for his head, arms and legs, the " suit" being held in position by strings round the waist. When Mr. Manton arrived at the tent in the morning the incongruity of a modern aeroplane receiving its morning toilet at the hands of what appeared to be a primeval cave-man, he describes as the funniest sight he has enjoyed for a very long while. The ever-growing list of "professionals " who have made the jump from the slanting boards to the pilot's seat has received a new addition in Mr. Chas. Weber, of Budapest, who has taken his " ticket" recently at the Grahame- White School at Hendon. Mr. Weber, who is an acrobat by profession, and who has appeared on many of the London halls, has done a considerable amount of flying on various machines in Hungary during the last two years, and has had several rather exciting experiences. On one occasion when Mr. Weber was flying for his ticket on a monoplane fitted with an experimental engine, and was doing some very artistic figures of eight, the engine and the machine dissolved partnership. The return to earth was nothing like as graceful as had been the figures of eight; in fact, it was very decidedly a case of " boys cassy." Fortunately Mr. Weber was not seriously hurt, 814 Chas. Weber, the Hungarian pilot who has taken his brevet at the Grahame-White School recently. but his judgment got the better of his patriotism, and he decided to journey to this country to learn flying on a real aeroplane. "/EOLUS."
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