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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0832.PDF
(/JJGHT) FLYING AT A BOMB DROPPING competition was the principal event at Hen don on Thursday afternoon of last week. Owing, no doubt to the atmosphere of war, some very good shots were got in, as will be seen from the result of this contest given below. A target of about 100 feet in diameter was marked out opposite the enclosures, and each competitor flying at an altitude of not less than 300 feet, was allowed three tries. The competitor whose average of the three shots worked out the closest to the target was declared the Winner. Four Hendon pilots took part in this event : Louis Noel and W. Birchenough, on the 70 h.p. Maurice Farman, and A. E. Barrs and F. G. Dunn on the 50 h.p. G.-W. bi-rudder 'bus. The latter pilot put up the best performance, his three shots being wonderful hits ; his first was 15 yards from the centre of the " bull," his second 17 yards, and his third 2A yards ! The following is a table showing the results at a glance :— Bomb-Dropping; Competition. 1st Shot. 2nd Shot. 3rd Shot. Average. 1. F.G.Dunn ... 15 yards 17 yards 2^ yards 11 yards 2. A. E. Barrs ... 45 „ 47 „ 53 „ 48 „ 3. Louis Noel ... 63 „ 66 ,, 41 ,, 57 „ 4. W. Birchenough 70 „ 90 „ 65 „ 75 ,, In addition to the bomb-dropping competition, several exhibition and passenger flights were made. A. E. Barrs and F. G. Dunn were out on the bi-rudder 'bus, and W. Birchenough and Louis Noel were busy with passengers on the Maurice Farman. Pierre Verrier flew the 70 h.p. Aircraft-Maurice Farman, and J. L. Hall came out on his 50 h.p. Avro, prior to leaving for Shoreham. Exhibitions were given by L. Prosser on his 45 h.p. Caudron, whilst Mr. Merriam also flew the same machine. G. J. Lusteed left for Shoreham, via Brooklands, on the Daily Mail Avro. The first day of the Ninth London Aviation Meeting on Saturday last was a somewhat short one owing to the high wind and a rain storm. Some very good flying was seen, nevertheless, the event of the afternoon being R. J. Lillywhite's magnificent dis play of airmanship when taking part in the 16-mile cross-country handicap, which was held in place of the 12-mile speed handicap for the " Sassoon " Cup, down on the programme—an event impossible to hold under the then existing weather condi tions. Lillywhite was piloting the 50 h.p. G.-W. bi-rudder 'bus, and throughout the race—with rain falling all the time —the machine plunged and rocked in the wind in a manner that was at times alarming to behold. But this was not all, for when crossing the line at the end of his four laps he was struck by a terrific gust which almost upset the machine, which was not only very close to No. I pylon, but was only some few yards below Birchenough, on the Maurice Farman, who was just overhauling Lillywhite. Both machines plunged as the gust struck them, and it looked at first as if the Maurice Farman was going to "land" on the machine below it, but fortunately both pilots skilfully drew apart and made safe landings. There were six starters in this race, which was over four laps of the Bittacy Hill circuit, as follows :—R. J. Lillywhite on the 50 h.p. G.-W. bi- rudder 'bus (12 mins. 10 sees.) j E. Prosser on his 45 h.p. Caudron (8 mins. 6 sees.); W. Birchenough on the 70 h.p. G.-W. Maurice Farman 7 mins. 5 sees.); Louis Noel (35 sees.); W. L. Brock (20 sees.); and R. H. Carr (scratch); all these on 80 h.p. Gnome-Morane-Saulniers. The "get off" of the last three was another exciting incident. In order to start facing the wind all the machines were lined up near to the far end of the aerodrome facing the enclosures, each machine having to round No. 1 pylon before starting off for Bittacy Hill. It will be seen that only a few seconds separated each of the three Morane-Saulniers, so that they got off and rounded the pylon, all banking sharply, one close behind the other—truly an imposing sight, the deafening roar of the three engines adding considerably to the effect. These three had it all their own way in the race, and finished first, second, and third in the same order in which they started, Noel gaining a few seconds on Brock, whilst Carr, who had to contend with the backwash from both, dropped a little behind. Lillywhite came in fourth, as previously described, and in recognition of his fine performance a special medal is being struck for him. By the time the race ended the rain came down worse than ever, and the proceedings had to be brought to a close. Prior to the race, however, several exhibition and passenger flights were made. The first up was Birchenough on the Maurice Farman, Lillywhite on the bi-rudder 'bus, and Brock with a passenger on the Morane-Saulnier following shortly after. Noel then made two flights on the Maurice Farman, and Prosser came out on his Caudron and put up a fine exhibition, banking, &c. Carr was the next to ascend with a passenger on the other 80 h.p. Morane-Saulnier, whilst A. E. Barrs ascended on he bi-rudder 'bus. AUGUST 7, 1914. HENDON. 16-Mile Cross-Country Race. (Result.) Handicap.^** m. s. m. s. 1. Louis Noel (80 h.p. Morane-Saulnier mono.) 035 2535 2. W.L. Brock (80 h.p. Morane-Saulnier mono.) o 20 25 54 3. R. H. Carr (80h.p. Morane-Saulnier mono.; scratch 2643 4. R. J. Lillywhite (50 h.p. G.-W. biplane) ... 12 10 27 33I 5. W. Birchenough(70h.p. M. Farman biplane) 75 2734 E. Prosser (45 h.p. Caudron biplane) ... 8 6 — Alternate rain showers and exhibition flights with a high wind all the time was the state of affairs on Sunday afternoon. W. L. Brock escaped from the wet and the worries of war below by ascending on the 80 h.p. Morane-Saulnier into bright sunshine 6,500 ft. up. W. Birohenough was out on the 70 h.p. Maurice Farman, and R. J. Lilly white had an unpleasant experience which might have ended seriously. He was just getting off on the bi-rudder 'bus when one of the engine cylinders blew off, fortunately before he was high up and without carrying away the tail outriggers. The piston followed the cylinder head, and both were eventually found some distance away. R. H. Carr made several flights on the other Morane-Saulnier, experiencing some trouble when landing owing to the gusty wind. The last day of the meeting, Bank Holiday, carried with it an atmosphere of excitement that will be remembered for some time to come. This was undoubtedly due to the war-cloud that has un happily enveloped Europe and this country, because the flying itself, though excellent, was in no way out of the ordinary. In the first place, there was the Home Office Order prohibiting all flying exceDt within a three-mile radius of a recognised aerodrome, and, secondly, there was a feeling around that the next meeting at Hendon might be very different from those usually held, viz., of a military nature. Perhaps there were some present who expected the arrival of a Zeppelin with a load of bombs, tor the writer noticed that many looked heavenwards with anxious expressions, whilst some pigeon shooting on a rifle-range outside the aerodrome was the cause of several heart altitude flights. Yes, there was a strange air of restlessness about. Early in the morning, before the Home Office Order was known, W. Birchenough left with a mechanic on the Maurice Farman for Leighton Buzzard—a distance of about 30 miles— where he was to give exhibition flights. At about I p.m. Louis Noel made a test flight on the 80 h.p. Henry Farman. which had been rebuilt after its smash at Hull some little time back. A little later on R. J. Lillywhite came out on the 50 h.p. G.-W. bi.rudder 'bus, after which Noel made another flight on t&e Henry Farman, and W. L. Brock ascended on the 80 h.p. Morane- Saulnier. As usual Brock flew high, and was soon lost in the clouds, appearing again from time to time still climbing. After a long interval he was seen returning to earth via a spiral vol plant, his descent lasting nearly 20 mins. An exami nation of his barograph showed that he had reached an altitude of 10,500 feet. Brock said that it was very cold up, and exceptionally clear, enabling him to see a groat distance—someone asked if he could see the Germans in the North Sea—although the lower clouds restricted his view somewhat. After this magnificent flight a bomb-dropping competition was held under similar con ditions that obtained on Thursday. The first to try was Lillywhite on the bi-rudder 'bus, his three shots being i8J yds., Q£ yds., and 9 yds. from the centre of the target, his average being 12 yds. F. G. Dunn then took over the 'bus, and obtained the same average as Lillywhite, his shots being 16 yds., 13 yds., and 8 yds. Tne next to try was Louis Noel, who flew the 80 h.p. Henry Farman with a passenger. Noel's shots went wider than the others, but he was flying higher and faster; his three shots were 60 yds., 44 yds., 42 yds., average 49 yds. A. E. Barrs was the last to try on the bi-mdder 'bus, and his second shot was the best of the afternoon, t\ yds., his others being 24 yds. and II yds., average 14 yds. Lillywhite and Dunn having tied, each had one more shot each, and this time both hit 32 yds. from the centre ! Instead of trying again they decided to split the prize (;£lo)—and the cup. The next event was a 9-mile cross-country handicap to Bittacy Hill and back three times for the " Desborough" Challenge Bowl, pre sented by Lord Desborough, which has to be won three times by the same competitor before becoming his absolute property ; last year it was won by P. Verrier. There were three starters : R. J. Lillywhite on the bi-rudder 'bus (10 mins. 12 sees.), W. L. Brock (5 sees.), and Louis Noel (scratch), both on 80 h.p. Morane- Saulniers. They started from the same part of the aerodrome as on Saturday's race, the two Morane-Saulniers getting away as if one was pulling the other, so close together were they. Lillywhite proved an easy winner, crossing the line 1 min. 4 sees, before Brock, 2
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