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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0178.PDF
1/01*3 FROM THE BRITISH London Aerodrome, Collindale Avenue, Hendon. Grahame - White School.—Tuesday, last week, Prob. Flight Sub-Lieuts. Irving solo circuits; Ferrand and Morrison solo straights; Dunn, Feeney, Greer, Hards, Hood, Jackson, and Vernon straights with Instructors Manton, Russell, and Winter. Thursday, Prob. Flight Sub-Lieuts. Irving, Dunn, and Morrison solo circuits, &c. ; Dunn, Ferrand solo straights; Feeney, Greer, Hards, Hood, Jackson, and Vernon straights with Instructors Russell, Winter, and Manton. The rest of the week too windy for pupils. Beatty School.—During last week pupils were out on the two seater machine accompanied by the instructor, the pupils receiving instruction being Messrs. Ormsby, Gerrit Forbes, H. H. Bright, F. R. Laver, J. H. Vickers, B. B. Lewis, and J. L. Allcock. The machines in use were two-seater Wright biplanes with controls in dupli cate. Instructors, Messrs. Geo. W. Beatty, W. Roche- Kelly and C. Prodger. London and Provincial Aviation Co.—Tuesday, last week, M. G. Smiles test flight 10 mins., Messrs. Noakes and Bransby Williams circuits and eights (extra practice). Mr. Watson straights, Messrs. Deschamps and Faning rolling. Wednesday, M. G. Smiles test flight 15 mins., Messrs. Faning and Deschamps rolling, Mr. Watson straights. ® ® EDI OWING to the high wind, there was very little flying at Hendon on Saturday last, but the monotony was relieved in the morning by a short flight by Mr. Graham on " Lizzie," and in the afternoon by the arrival of two machines from other aerodromes. Although only qualifying for his ticket recently, Mr. Graham is already acquiring considerable experience in rough weather flying—an experience which he never loses any oppor tunity of adding to. The first visitor to arrive in the afternoon was Mr. Harry Hawker on a tandem two- seater Sopwith tractor biplane. This new machine differs considerably from the usual Sopwith biplanes, and I can best give an idea of it by saying that it is an intermediary between the Scout and the larger two- seater. The planes are not staggered, as in nearly all other Sopwiths, but as the passenger sits well forward in the body he is on a level with or slightly ahead of the leading edge of the lower plane, and therefore obtains quite a good view downwards. The pilot, on the other hand, sits sufficiently far back to be able to see straight down behind the rear edge of the lower plane. The chassis is of the V-type, and is built of steel tubes throughout. The machine has a very business-like appearance, and Mr. Hawker tells me that she climbs exceedingly well, besides being easy to handle and com fortable to fly. To those who bad not had the oppor tunity to see Hawker's piloting for the last few months, it was quite a treat to watch him coming in from Brook- lands, travelling at a great pace, and to note that his piloting has lost none of its brilliancy since the days of looping and race meetings. The other visitor to Hendon on Saturday last was Capt. Halahan, who in a B.E. flew over from Farn- borough with a passenger, returning again later in the afternoon, in a very nasty wind. MARCH 12, 1915. FLYING GROUNDS. Thursday, test flight, M. G. Smiles, 10 mins. Messrs- Bransby Williams and Noakes (extra practice) circuits and eights. Mr. Moore circuits and eights, afterwards flying for brevet which he obtained in excellent style, despite adverse weather conditions. Messrs. Faning and Deschamps rolling, both making good progress. Messrs. Watson and Abbott straights. Friday and Saturday, gale blowing. Instructors for the week, W. T. Warren and M. G. Smiles. Ruffy-Baumann School.—Monday last week, Mr. E. Roobaert and Mr. B. C. Bell, joined the school. Tuesday, E. Baumann out on 60 Caudron giving in struction to Mr. Kenworthy, 10 mins., Mr. Blandy, n mins. Mr. H. James out testing 45 Caudron. Wednesday, test flight on 60 Caudron. Thursday, Mr. Kenworthy, 10 mins. on 60 Caudron, Mr. Hydon, 11 mins. on 60 Caudron. Mr. B. C. Bell, first lesson on same machine with E. Baumann. Week end too stormy for school work. Instructors, E. Baumann and James Brothers. Northern Aircraft Co., Ltd. The Seaplane School, Windermere.—On Friday, last week, Mr. W. Rowland Ding took out the Avro, which has been fitted with dual control, but found it too rough to continue. Owing to the inclemency of the weather all through the week no tuition work has been possible. ® ® IES. Minor mishaps are, I suppose, to be considered as being all in the day's work of a school instructor, but one of the most unpleasant experiences that I have heard of for a long time happened to Mr. Merriam the other day up at Hendon. Mtrriam had just been up to a height of 2,000 ft., to t.st the air, and was giving the 'bus over to one of his pupils for solo flights. The pupil, however, expressed the wish that Merriam would take him for a flight across the ground in order to show him where to land at the other side when doing straights. Merriam consented, and they started off, reaching a height of about 40 ft., when suddenly Merriam felt a lot of cables tangle themselves round his legs and the control lever. Looking over the side to find out what had happened, he saw the ailerons flapping about in a most unseemly manner, and, I need hardly say, lost no time in switching off and getting down. By vigorous mani pulation (or should it be " pedipulation "?) of the rudder he succeeded in effecting a safe landing. You may take it from me that both he and the pupil always have a good look at the control cables now before going up. In the comparatively few moments that he can spare from his instruction work, Manton is getting in some very useful practice on the new Grahame-White tractor biplane. Manton tells me that he is now beginning to get used to the high speed of this machine, and rather enjoys flying her, He has found out, though, that it's a bit tricky to attempt to look over the side too much, as the wind at that high speed seems to have a nasty habit of catching hold of your nose and twisting your head round if you don't get it back behind the wind screen in quick time. Although fitted with a rigid chassis, it is fairly easy to land, as the minimum speed is so low.
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