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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 2174.PDF
88 FLIGHT. JULY 28, 1938. Private Flying CA.G. EXPERIMENT? The Work of the County Flying Club : Last Saturday's Meeting at Rearsby ACCIDENTALLY or otherwise, the date of the County Flying Club's meeting was a particularly apt one. L Starting in a small way with Drones, this club is now operating three American Taylor Cubs and is providing flying tuition at exceptionally cheap rates. Since the project has been sponsored, and to some extent financially assisted, by Mr. Lindsay Everard, M.P., it may be considered to have been a full-scale experiment in the ideas on which the new Civil Air Guard scheme has been based. The most careful accounts have been kept during the past year, so that the club officials could dis cover exactly what training in lightweights would cost and, consequently, the amount of subsidy necessary to bring this cost down to a figure which would not be beyond average means. Elsewhere the financial assistance which has been privately given to the County Flying Club has sometimes been very much exaggerated. In fact, we believe that Mr. Everard paid the deposits for the purchase of the first two Cubs, though the third has been bought by the club itself, and any other loans seem to have been arranged on a most business-like basis. Unfortunately, but inevitably, the machines used by the club are of American origin, and it is perhaps significant that the use of foreign machines is, for the time being at any rate, to be permitted in the C.A.G. Last Saturday's flying meeting at the club's private aero drome at Rearsby (next door to Mr. Everard's, at Ratcliffe) was primarily concerned with the official opening of the new clubhouse, the cost of which has been borne entirely by the club finances. Following the ceremony, however, there was a display, mainly by pilots of light and ultra-light aeroplanes of particular merit and interest. Quite a surprising number of flying visitors turned up—particularly as, from our own experi ence, the visibility in various parts of the country was of a discouragingly low. order. Altogether there must have been nearly thirty aeroplanes, private and otherwise, lined up on the aerodrome boundary. The field at Rearsby, incidentally, is of quite adequate size, and the runs in two directions, at This elegant coach was used by F/0. Hole and Capt. Preston as the control and commentator's eyrie at Rearsby. Unfor tunately, the ama'.eur cameraman rather missed the former. Three Taylor Cubs, representing the Cour.ty Club's fleet, fly in professional formation over the new clubhouse at Rearsby. least, are fully up to Maybury standards. On Saturday there was no wind at all, and during the arrival competition 'people put down from all sorts of directions. Later on the control, consisting of F/O. A. H. Hole (as wielder of the Aldis light) and Capt. R. L. Preston (in charge of the microphone) arranged that all machines should take off and land in one par ticular direction only—that of the longest run. These con trollers were adequately and aerially mounted on an ancient coach, whence they had a perfect view of all the proceedings. Speeches were made by Mr. Everard himself, by Air Comdre. Chamier, by Baron de la Grange, president of the French Aero Club, and by the Mayor of Leicester. Baron de la Grange came over in a Farman, which appeared, perhaps, a little lonely amongst a host of ultra-lights and a few typically British aero planes of different dimensions. Among the demonstrations undoubtedly the most impressive was the formation flight by three Cubs. This show was entirely professional. The formation was led by Mr. Elwell, in the latest demonstrator, with an Everel single-blade airscrew, the rest of the flight being made up by two club Cubs flown by Messrs. Collins and Headley. The third of the club machines was in evidence, but had only just been flown back from Han- worth after a one-day longeron repair, and was not, perhaps, considered really quite ready for inclusion in the formation. In any case, the brand-new demonstrator aiade a good leader. Two other performances were particularly worthy of men tion, one by Mr. Collins with a Drone, and the other by Mr. Warren with one of the Leicestershire Club's Tigers. The former really has brought crazy flying with the Drone to a fine art, and his antics in any other type would have appeared dangerous. As it was, the Drone revelled in it, and the demon stration showed that this type has tremendous possibilities for shows of this description at the different flying events. The very fact that it can be flown safely at next to no feet and can be turned, either on or off the ground, within small areas gives the public full value. The pilot of the Tiger played the part of the inevitable newcomer—in this case a clergyman from a parish in new Zealand—who is put into an aeroplane for the first time. Warren, equally inevitably, wound up his crazy flying and landing exhibition with perfect spot touch down a few yards from the enclosures. When these two had finished their respective shows what little lift that had previously been in the sultry sky must have been used up. However, Mr. Brie made an excellent best of the circumstances in a C.30. Autogiro, though one felt sorry that he had not got the use of that very little breeze which can make his demonstrations so much more effective. The arrival competition, the zero time for which was round about 2.32 p.m., was won by Mr. Roy Winn, the secretary of the Lei>estershire Club.
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