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Aviation History
1926
1926 - 0567.PDF
AUGUST 12, 1926 to the Government Rest House. This pipe varied in height from being underneath the sand level to several feet above it, and the actual point of impact was several inches above the sand. Our wheels were buried up to their axles. Captain Hillier very kindly obtained ropes for us which we fastened to the undercarriage. Here we called for the assistance of the Arabs, and a large party of wildly excited men laid hold of the ropes and, with many shouts and much laughter, com- menced to haul the machine up the sand on to the elevated roadway. So thoroughly did they bring this about that our difficulty was to get them to stop, for with the easier going once the road was attained they set off with our load at a steady trot and seemed to thoroughly enjoy every minute of their experience. The embarrassment arising from our allies' assistance did not end here, for, unfortunately, after thanking those that had assisted us to the best of my "ability, I made the mistake of picking oi't a couple of useful looking Arabs to turn the propeller for us and showed them how to do it. No sooner, however, had they started to turn than by a rush on the part of the other Arabs they were practically trodden underfoot and every man on the settlement appeared to have made up his mind that he was going to have a part in moving the propeller. So great was their excitement that I was powerless to keep them back and I became really con- cerned for the safety of the machine. Captain Hillier, how ever, came to the rescue and shouted some orders which brought the tumult to an end. After starting the motor we taxied along the desert by the picturesque lagoon, took off, and headed for Cairo, where we landed about 50i hours after the time of our taking-off from Croydon aerodrome, the ourselves distinctly fortunate in that none of our Arab friends were in evidence this second morning, and we were able to swing the propeller and get our engine started without a further tumult. The flight from here to Sollum, a distance of about 150 miles, occupied two hours against a head wind, so that we were quite certain that our sea crossing would inevitably be a long one. At Sollum the assistance available was much better than on the journey down and we were personally relieved of the very arduous work of filling up the tanks. After a slight meal of bread and cheese and coffee we struck out on our long flight across the sea. The head wind had gradually strengthened and once again a thick haze spread over the ocean so that no horizon was visible. It was quite three-quarters of an hour after the time that I had figured out that Crete should be visible before the first sight of the island was obtained and you can understand that it was with a certain amount of relief that I caught the first glimpse of its forbidding looking shores. Just before reach- ing the island we saw in the distance the dim outline of a ship, the first and only boat which we had seen during our sea crossings. Colonel Minchin decided not to fly over the Cretian mountains but to make his way round the island, so that we had a further two hours' sea trip before we made our way into the Bay of Athens, where again equally bumpy conditions were experienced as on our outward journey. The sea trip from Sollum had altogether occupied 5| hours, during which the engine had purred along with a steady drone which had almost a somnolent effect. During our previous landing at Athens we had been warned of the danger of attack from the giant eagles which have their Lond on-C a i r o with a "Jupiter": Willing helpers haul the "Blood- hound " out of the sand into which its wheels had sunk when alighting at Mersa Mathruh. m W Sv delays at Brindisi and Sollum having robbed us of the record which we had set our hearts on making. We landed safely at the R.A.F. aerodrome at Heliopolis, but most unfortunately, in taxying up to the shed, our port wing tip caught against some portable barbed wire barriers, so that the wing tip bend was smashed, along with two ribs, and some of the fabric was damaged. By reason of the non- success of our making Cairo within the two days desired, we decided to attempt to fly back to England as quickly as possible in order to make a five days' journey of the return trip. We explained this to the officers and N.C.O.s at Hcliopolis, and they immediately entered into the spirit of our requirements and proceeded to make a temporary repair to the wing tip. In the heat the glue dried almost instantly, the fabric was stitched and doped into place, and in two hours a most excellent repair had been executed. In the mean- time I changed the plugs of the engine, Colonel Minchin and I had a wash and some food, with a very welcome cup of tea, and about two hours after landing at Cairo we were again in the air on our return trip. We reached Mersa Mathruh flying against a head wind. As the light was failing and knowing at least we could get shelter there, we decided to spend the night at this spot, where we were given good beds at the Government Rest House, well orotected with mosquito nets. Before dawn we were out again on the aerodrome, which, by the way, is situated at the opposite end of the settlement to that marked on the Air Ministry map, and this had accounted for our badly selected landing place the previous night. After our experi- ence with propeller swinging the morning before, we counted eyries along this coast. Quite recently one of the Greek Government seaplanes had been attacked by an eagle, with the result that the machine had been smashed in the air and, crashing out of control, killed the pilot. I suppose this story must have been running through my brain when we were nearing the Tatoi Aerodrome at Athens, and were flying at a height of about 2,000 ft., when we saw a very fine specimen of an eagle in our close proximity. It was Saturday afternoon when we landed at Athens and we found the" whole of the staff had left for the day. Fortunately, the petrol company's representative was in attendance and a few men were available to help us, and while petrol was being put into our machine we were taken to have some food, for which by this time we were more than ready. We were seated at the" table by our well-meaning host and after a considerable time food arrived, consisting of two small cutlets and some potatoes. Although the party numbered five,our host insisted upon us accepting the cutlets, but, hungry as we were, we were quite unable to disengage any of the meaty portion from the bone. Another source of supply, however, came to light, namely, some cold meat. Colonel Minchin, fearing a repetition of the first course, declined a serving with courtly politeness, but I decided at any rate to give the course a trial. This proved quite satisfactory and, whilst I started on our next journey with a certain amount of content, Colonel Minchin left Athens just about as empty as he entered. Upon taking off from the aerodrome in the direction of home it was necessary to climb very hard to get over the high mountains which rise immediately behind the aerodrome. On reaching the top of the first range we encountered another 497
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