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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 0360.PDF
182 FLIGHT. FEBRUARY 14, TQM Private Flying NOTTINGHAM Flying time last week at the Nottingham Flying Club was y hr. 15 min. On Tuesday Mr. Berkin flew Capt. Shepperd to Farnborough La the new " Major Moth," and made the return trip in very good time. Two new members arrived, and on Friday night a dance was held in the club. Mrs. Patterson has arrived with her Miles " Hawk," which is to be housed indefinitely at Tollerton. • : • • • - - NORTHAMPTONSHIRE The landing competition was run off last Sunday, the results being: 1, W. Tomkins; 2, J. Linnell; 3, R. Morris Mr. Shuttleworth visited the aerodrome in his " Dragon," and Mrs. Crossley, Capt. Findlay, R. Morris and Mr. Deterdin? also appeared during the week. One new flying member, Miss I. C. Schwedler, joined, and a general meeting of the members was held in the clubhouse on Friday, Februaiy 8. SINCE 1908! The Unique Career of the Chief Instructor of the Southern Aero Club, Mr. C. L. Pashky, Who has Flown 8,050 hours as Instructor and Test Pilot IT is not often that the necessity is felt of giving a personal history—and, incidentally, of producing a deep blush on the countenance of the unfortunate person concerned. There arc a number of well-tried air veterans in the world to-day, but few can have had such a unique career as that of Cecil Pashley. His experience dates back to the days before Shoreham Aerodrome appeared on the landscape—and, as most people know, Shoreham was an aerodrome when most of the present generation of pilots were in their cots. Mr. C. L Pashley, after experience on the Lane glider at Hockley in 1908, went to Brooklands, where he taught him self to fly. There he gained experience on most of the early types, including the famous " cross-Channel " Bleriot monoplane, the Voisin biplane, and the Sommer biplane. In 1911 he obtained his Royal Aero Club Certificate No. 106, as in those days it was quite usual for a pilot to gain consider able experience before doing the tests for his certificate. When Shoreham Aerodrome was started, Pashley, together with his brother, opened a flying school there. They also designed and built a small pusher biplane for competition flving, and this machine won its first race a few days after it was completed, vhe occasion being the pylon race for the Shell Cup at the opening of the 1914 season. The pilots at this meeting included the late John Alcock, G. M. Dyott, and J. L. Hall, Work was just being commenced on a faster machine of the same type, fitted with a 100 h.p. Gnome engine, when war broke out, and Shoreham Aerodrome was taken over by the War Office. During the war Pashley became an approved Admiralty test pilot, while acting also as instructor, and he trained a considerable number of R.N.A.S. and R.F.C. pilote. More Recent History In 1920 he obtained his Pilot's " B " Licence, when these were first instituted, after which he did some flying for the Central Aircraft Co., of Northolt. He then went into partner ship with F. G. Miles, who is now producing " Hawks" at Reading, and together they started both the Southern Aero Club and Southern Aircraft, Ltd., at Shoreham. The latter company is best known for the very successful light aeroplane known as the "Martlet," which was produced in 1929. The Southern Aero Club, of which Pashley has been chiei instructor since its inception, is principally remarkable for tho fact that the " Avro 504K " had been used for training pupils right up to last year, and the skill of the pilots turned out has been ample proof of the wisdom in the choice of this type of machine. This veteran's flying hours now total 8,050. This is all the more remarkable when it is realised that at no time in his career has he ever been employed on an air line. He has flown 65 different types, on 15 of which, including two types of seaplane, he has given instruction. Some of the best known pilots both of to-day and in the past have received their training at his hands. The Club Year AN increase in flying hours of more than 27 per cent, on 1933 is indicated by the available subsidised light aeroplane club figures for last year. Returns from twenty-six of the thirty clubs show that membership has increased from 4,800 to 7,116, flying membership from 2,565 to 4,016 and hourage from 20,695 to 33,968. These clubs own ninety-seven machines and 486 pupils were trained for " A " licences, as against 433 for the previous year. In addition, fifty pilots obtained their "B" licences. The un- subsidised clubs also did? well. Returns from eleven show that 8,257 hours were flown. The highest hourage figures for each machine in use were those put up by the Brooklands Flying Club—678 per machine. TM Herts and Essex club comes next with 570 hours and the Car diff, London, and Bristol and Wessex follow closely. Another Tcheliuskin Affair Eighty-nine fishermen were rescued by aeroplanes after the! had been carried away by an ice-floe while fishing in the nor eastern part of the Caspian Sea. Machines of the Astral™1 Aviation Base came to their assistance, and the men. > reported, have suffered no ill-effects. 1 Curiously enough, on January 4 three men were resf" from an ice-flow in Canada by Mr. Main, the chief instruct of the Toronto Flying Club. They had been adrift for twentv- four hours. Lord Sempill VETERANS BOTH! Mr, C. L. Pashley and one of the Southern Aero Club's lately discarded 504 Ks. Many pilots must regret the passing of the " blip " switch and the "fine adjustment." At the time of going to press no news had been rec* concerning Lord Sempill, who had been missing since he '' Onslow, Western Australia, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday m°™^ A search was about to be organised. Lord Sempill k'ft " on his return journey to England, on Sunday.
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