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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0053.PDF
JANUARY 24, 1924 • The first Martinsyde monoplane was there, a small Antoinette type machine with an eight-cylinder J.A.P. engine This was the forerunner of the well-known Martinsyde aeroplanes, and was nicknamed " the little oil bath," because the auxiliary exhaust ports let the castor oil escape from the crankcase on to the pilot's face at the rate of 2 gallons per hour. A very interesting monoplane, the Gregoire " Gyp," was housed in shed No. 7. It was a single-spar machine, with the spars pivotted on the top of the fuselage, and by means of a pair of bevels, somewhat on the lines of a motor-car differential, the relative incidence of the wings could be altered for lateral balance. The engine was a four-cylinder, water-cooled Gregoire motor, run in an inverted position. It seemed tc run very well and without undue lubrication troubles This machine, like so many of the early attempts, was never re-built after its first flight, which also meant its first crash on landings The Blue Bird restaurant opened in this shed about Whitsun. Shortly after Easter the Howard T. Wright Company appeared in shed No. 9 with Mr. Boyle's " Avis " monoplane, designed by Mr. W. O. Manning, 28 h.p. Anzani fan-type engine, with cruciform tail universally jointed forming rudder and elevator. This monoplane made some fine flights of 30 minutes or more—a great feat for those days. The Humber monoplanes were housed in sheds Nos. 4 and 5. They were of Bleriot type. Some were fitted with an improved type of engine similar to the Fan Anzani ; others with Clerget-type, water-cooled motor (four vertical cylinders, copper water jackets, overhead valves with concentric push-rods, dimensions about 110 by 130 mm.). Both of these motors were built by the Humber Company, and ran better than any engines of that date. Mr. Barnes, the racing motor cyclist, obtained his ticket on one of these. It is a. pity the Humber Company gave up aviation, because they were just getting over the preliminary difficulties when they closed this branch. Several large motor and engineering firms, both in England and France, burnt their fingers in 1910-11. When M. Bleriot crossed the Channel they thought aviation was perfected, whereas it was not even at the half-way house, so, without considering the fact that they had to train a personnel and feel their way, they launched out with a large expenditure, often controlled by unscrupulous men, and then wondered why there was no return. Messrs. Blondeau and Hewlett first arrived at Brooklands in this summer, and everyone was astonished at the hard work Mrs. Hewlett did on their Farman biplane. Without any doubt, Messrs. Hewlett and Blondeau earned then- success by hard work and method. Their shed was always tidy and always busy. Brooklands grew steadily, and the community of workers increased. We were all poor and all good friends. This part of the Brooklands life must include Mr. V. Hammond, who worked in a little shed of felt and rough timber, and built what was probably the lightest triplane ever made. All metal work was lightened out with holes regardless of the labour entailed, and all these holes were drilled with a hand brace. I was very sorry when engine failure brought this venture to an end. The engine was a four-cylinder Vee, which appeared to give absolutely no power at all. Mr. Roe put up some fine flights on his triplanes during this summer, and he began to get pupils and form the successful school which during the next year turned out several well-known pilots, such as Messrs. Raynham, Pixton, etc. \ Later on in the year Mr. Sopwith gained his ticket on his Howard T. Wright monoplane, and afterwards flew his H. T. W. biplane which he took with him to America next year and won many prizes. Both these machines were designed by Mr. W. O. Manning, who was a frequent visitor to Brooklands. Mr. Sopwith had a pet bear which used to escape the vigilance of its keeper and get into other people's sheds in search of tins of condensed milk. The year 1911 at Brooklands was entirely a year of expan sion ; sheds were built, reaching the number of forty by the end of the year, and the aerodrome was gradually improved. When the first sheds were built the ground was full of ditches and hedges, and the only decent piece of ground extended from the sewage farm corner to just beyond shed No. 9, and was about 100 yds. wide. Between the sewage farm corner and the paddock there were deep ponds where the earth had been dug to make the track. There was also a farm house and a barn. The river made several bends in the aerodrome, and there were several more pits or ponds at the south end of the ground. An army of men worked all this year and right up to the end of 1911 levelling the ground and diverting the river. Practically every inch of the present aerodrome has been dug and levelled by hand. In 1910 the ground was bare, sandy earth, but grass grew in the autumn. Mr. Dashwood Lang was busy with propellers which seemed to develop from a toy boomerang which he was making for Gamages. These early propellers gave good results, and soon showed themselves superior to the best French pro pellers. The feeling of general good fellowship among the workers on the aerodrome began to grow, and we were all good friends, like a large family without any serious disputes, using each others' tools and generally borrowing and lending everything, including advice. The next year, which was perhaps the most eventful year that aviation has ever seen or will ever see, opened with some fine flights by Mr. Pixton on the Avro biplane fitted with a 35 h.p. Green engine. It is interesting to note that this was the same engine which was flown to Brussels in 1919, and subsequently to Rome, after eight years' use—a good record for any engine. One of the interesting early machines which came to Brooklands in 1911 was the Weiss monoplane— an automatically stable machine without a tail-plane. The planes had a very heavy top camber, with back and upswept tips, something like a duck's wing. The Hanriot school was in full swing early in 1911. The pupils who learned on the old " Henrietta " were Messrs. England, Fisher, Bell, Henry Petre and Gnosspelius. This monoplane had one peculiarity which seems to have been unique, in that it could be flown tabri without becoming unstable ; when too cabre it simply subsided gently to earth without sideslip. It was not a suitable pupil 'bus, because the boat built half round the fuselage was so difficult to repair. It was during the spring of 1911 that the A.B.C. Engine Co. started in the small works on the aerodrome, with their four- and eight-cylinder water-cooled engines very similar to the Curtiss. Mr. Macfie was down on the aerodrome with his biplane fitted with 50 h.p. Gnome on which Messrs. Macfie and Valentine gained their certificates. There was great excitement at the time of the circuit of Europe. On the return flight from Hendon Mr. Valentine landed at Brooklands and abandoned the race so as to get his machine tuned up for the circuit of Britain. The next event of note was, of course, the circuit of Britain. Owing to the high entrance charge on the day of the start, many young enthusiasts came in the day before and slept in the sheds. As far as I can remember, there were ten in my shed. In the early morning we went out to witness the preliminary trials of some of the new arrivals. One of the machines began to lose pieces of plane in the air at about 400 ft., and came to earth gradually breaking up. The final smash was comprehensive, the whole biplane was packed up in small packing-cases without the need of any more breaking or cutting on the part of the volunteer packers. Three cylinders of the E.N.V. motor were torn off the crankcase. Strange and happy to relate, the pilot Mr. R. Kemp, was uninjured, except for a slight cut. The extraordinary Etrick monoplane caused much interest. It was an all-steel contraption with single-surfaced planes. The tips were bent back and upswept, and were flexible, with a kingpost and umbrella-like bracing. The planes were braced with a biplane bracing, having the lower spar exposed. The whole machine was a mass of wires and head resistance. It had a real 120 A.D. motor, and the general noise and thrust from its propeller impressed us all. It failed at Luton, but I don't remember why. The start was rather late in the afternoon, and the heat was intense. Most of the competitors started from the north end of the aero drome. Lieut. Porte, on his Dep., had a smash when starting. Many competitors, including Mr. Gilmour, could not get off in the heated air. Those who did manage to get off went several miles south to find better atmospheric conditions before they turned. Mr. Cody, following his usual custom, however, waited until the air was somewhat cooler, and flew straight to Hendon, only clearing the telegraph wires over the railway line by inches. So ended one of the most noteworthy days of British aviation. During the circuit Brooklands was rather quiet till the arrival of Mr. Beaumont, the winner, who was welcomed by everyone. After three such exciting days the remainder of 1911 was quiet. 1912 opened with the bugbear of commercialism beginning to destroy the feeling of good-fellowship. Nearly everyone was hoping to make money, and some were beginning to spend it. The Heath Club became the headquarters instead of the " Blue Bird," and billiards became the evening occupation instead of working till bed time. This was the year in which so many of the Old Brigade lost their lives—Messrs. Astley, Gilmour, Fisher, Johnstone, Petre, and others—all from the good company of Brooklands. It was altogether a bad year, with the worry of trying to get a financial backing, and the question—Will the Government really assist, or is
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