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Aviation History
1923
1923 - 0643.PDF
V. h OCTOBER 18, 1923 least 50 miles per gallon, which is low enough to make flyingeconomical. The " Gannet " itself came in for very favour- able comment on account of its pleasing lines, good workman-ship, and excellent finish. Its very diminutive size makes an irresistible appeal (the span with wings spread is but 18 ft.,and with wings folded less than 7 ft., while the height is only 6 ft.), and a machine of these reduced dimensions could becomfortably housed in any ordinary garage. The machine was painted in the Gloucestershire Aircraft Company's racingcolours, i.e., blue fuselage and white wings, and was extremely well finished. The Last Day of the MeetingAfter a day of gales and rain the weather suddenly took a turn for the better on Friday evening. Shortly before sunseta faint streak of light was seen in the west. The clouds gradually cleared, and the setting sun was seen for a fewminutes. As if by magic the dark rain clouds disappeared, the rain ceased, and the wind dropped to almost nothing, atany rate at ground level. On the aerodrome, although it was long after official " closing time," there was feverish activity,engines being overhauled and run up, just in case the meteoro- logical experts should prove wrong. According to them, itseemed to be a case of " depressions to the right of them, depressions to the left of them," etc. Nevertheless, theunexpected had been known to happen before, and nobody was taking any chances. Quite late in the evening passers-byalong the country roads around the aerodrome could hear engines running, and the lights were burning long after thecountryside had gone to its rest. Saturday morning brought a clear sky, wonderful visibility, and, unfortunately, a fairlystrong ground wind, which was suspected of being a young gale at a few thousand feet altitude. Shortly after 7 a.m., the first machine took the air. Thiswas No. 10, the Vickers " Viget," piloted by Capt. Cockerell. Steering out over the south side of the aerodrome Cockerellgot the up-draught from the range of hills and shot up like a lift, climbing remarkably strongly. Major Hemming on thede Havilland was the next to follow, also getting away well. Then followed in quick succession Major Wright on No. 3"Wren," Capt. Hamersley on the Avro biplane (No. 11), Capt. Broad on No. 8 (D.H. monoplane), Piercey on theA.N.E.C., and Longton on the No. 4 " Wren." Some of these machines were going for altitude tests for the prize presentedby Sir Charles Wakefield. Others were hoping to improve upon their previous consumption figures, while a few were PERSONALITIES AT LYMPNE : Sir Charles Wake- field (left) with Mr. Stanhope Spencer, London repre- sentative of Wakefield's. Sir Charles presented a prize of £200 for the greatest altitude attained. This prize was won by Mr. Piercey on an A.N.E.C. mono- plane. intending to have a try at the speed " record." Soon therewere so many machines in the air that it became a matter of some difficulty to follow their progress. Cockerell was seen tobe coming back, apparently having decided that the wind was a bit too strong at an altitude of some 5,000 ft., as his machinewas being blown backwards while he was climbing. When he landed he reported that the wind was very strong, but that THE PEYRET MONOPLANE AT LYMPNE : The upper photograph shows the machine in side view, with M. Louis Peyret, the constructor, in the cockpit preparing to give the Sergant engine a test. Below the machine is seen during the transport test, while the inset shows it in flight. •.:-••'••>•.: •••"".'•• 643 • • • ' ".'•'••••..•••. ' : .-'.
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