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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1496.PDF
Correspondence The Editor of "Flight" is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed by correspondents in these columns. Names and addresses of writers, not for publication in detail, must in all cases accompany letters. Commemorating G. H. HandasydeD URING the lifetime story of aviation seldom have we had theprivilege of staging a flight to the memory of one of its oldest pioneers. This flight is being inaugurated in honour to the lateG. H. Handasyde, OBE, who took a leading part in the earliest days of flying and who was responsible for the design and construction ofmany of the world's finest aircraft dating from 1908, when he produced his first monoplane. Over his many years' experience in aeroplane design and con-struction he was always a strong believer in the superior efficiency of the monoplane and was very much in favour of the rear-enginedmachine, a type which was now becoming predominant. Some people were quick to realize the advantages of the rear-enginedaircraft and today we see very good evidence of that fact. Handa- syde himself believed in strength of construction and his machineswere very good examples, having the reputation of being built to last. During the period 1936-37 he became responsible for the designof a small three-seater cabin monoplane fitted with retractable undercarriage, which was acclaimed as one of the fastest lightmachines of its class. The machine became known as the Eagle and was sold to many countries, including the Commonwealth ofAustralia. The proposed tribute to Handasyde is to organize a commemora-tion flight from Australia to this country by an Eagle monoplane which has become available in Australia, where it has been inregular service right up to the present moment. This flight is being made as a memorial tribute and it is verygratifying to mention that a most valuable contribution has been received from de Havilland, who themselves are one of the oldestpioneering concerns. They have generously offered to service the engine and provide the necessary spare parts, free of charge, andare also willing to provide a full kit of spares to be carried on the flight from Australia to here. This kindly gesture has been warmly received and is consideredas a most helpful step towards the formation of this flight. The flight offers many opportunities and in itself lends a unique way ofadvertising the products of others who are engaged in commercial trade throughout the world. It is hoped that this valuable contribution will serve as a stimulusto the industry and others in making an endeavour to support this worthy cause in commemoration of one of their brother pioneers. Edinburgh 7 S. H. HANDASYDE 43 Sqn PUotsI HAVE recently been carrying out a little research into thehistory of No 43 Squadron and wonder if any ex-members, or your readers, could add to my knowledge. No 43 Squadron had a fair proportion of exceptional pilots inboth wars, and I would like to know a little more about, in particu- lar, C. F. King, H. W. Woollett and J. L. Trollop. King, unfortu-nately, was killed at Sedgeford on January 24, 1919, but H. W. Woollett, who remained in the R.A.F. to command No 43 by1928, was recalled in 1938 to serve again. John L. Trollop, repatri- ated in June 1918 after being wounded in air combat and takenprisoner, was, I feel sure, also back in the RAF in the last war. Any information, sent c/o the Editor, would be appreciated. Bridlington, East Yorks JAMES L. DIXON 600 FLIGHT, 12 October 1961 The B.E.2c in the War Museum, Ottawa, described in a letter below Those Asymmetric Hampdens RE Roger Bacon's picture in September 14 issue, of the twoHampden bombers: perhaps the designer thought the bendin the fuselage might assist asymmetric flight! Think how this would also help "landing on one engine," the term beloved by airreporters and air experts of the daily Press. Has anyone ever seen this feat accomplished? I am still waiting for the day when anengine comes out and the pilot runs over it! Coventry R. E. NICOLL BUA's BritanniasI T is with regret that I put pen to paper in order to lodge a com-plaint. In your report on page 519 of last week's ^September 28^ issue, of BOAC Britannias for BU A, please get the registrationscorrect. It was G-AOVI that had just come off Check 4 and G-AOVE which went out after a Check 1 in BOAC livery.I am not a rivet counter by any means, but . . . Teddington, Middx. M. FULLER (Fitter, South Pen, BOAC) Dog-fightsI N Flight for September 21 Mr Heinz J. Nowarra writes aboutthe dog which fell with his master, on June 27, 1917. The same thing happened in Holland during the Second World War on theLuftwaffe air base of Leeuwarden. The commander of a MelO9 squadron always took his dog with him into the air. One day—about March 1942—a Hampden of Coastal Commandappeared over Leeuwarden. The Me 109 took off to attack the British bomber, but the German fighter was shot down. TheLuftwaffe pilot came down with his Mel09, together with his dog. Both were dead. Maarn. Holland HUGO HOOFTMAN Ottawa's—and Sowrey's—B.E.2c DISCOVERING a B.E.2c in the War Museum in Ottawa wasquite a surprise. On entering the museum the aircraft is notvisible until one is halfway down the narrow building; then one sees it standing fully rigged, partly obscured by the internal structurearound which it had been assembled. It is known that very few B.E.2cs remain in existence. To thewriter's knowledge there may be another specimen in custody of the Imperial War Museum, probably not in condition for exhibi-tion [on the contrary, permanently on show—Ed.] On first inspection the most striking impression was that withlittle effort the Ottawa aeroplane could be made airworthy, so complete does it appear. The workmanship that was put into therebuilding must be highly commended. The curator of the museum, Mr Murray, gave invaluable assistance in the quest for information.All records were made available for inspection and study. The B.E.2c, serial number 4112, was constructed by the British& Colonial Aeroplane Co in 1914. Probably it originally had a Renault vee-eight engine of 70 h.p. This aircraft, the museumrecords claim, is the actual machine flown by 2/Lt Sowrey, RFC, 39 Sqn, when he shot down Zeppelin L32 over Billericay, Essex,from which there were no survivors, on the night of September 23-24, 1916. How it managed to survive the war and find its way to Canada wasimpossible to discover. Mr Murray volunteered that many such souvenirs were collected by such ways and means that it is bestthere is no record. The reconditioning of the machine was carried out by 6 RDTrenton, with the other vintage aircraft that were displayed throughout Canada to commemorate Canada's 50th anniversary offlight. The engine now fitted is not the original but a RAF [RoyalAircraft Factory] la vee-eight engine of 90 h.p. The dimensions of the crankcase are such that interchangeability of the engine appearsto have been a good design feature of those days. This engine has been supplied, on loan, by the Imperial War Museum to completethe aircraft for display purposes. It was noted that the carburettor is a Claudel-Hobson type, withdouble choke, fed by a single central circular foot chamber, attached to the bottom of the volute casing at the rear of the engine.A single magneto is fitted to the back of the crankcase, and most notable of all is the side induction valve and overhead exhaustvalve fitted to the individual air-cooled cast iron cylinders. On moving the propeller one could feel that the engine still had goodcompression. All in all, it looks in very good condition. What gives the aircraft its good appearance is the wonderfuljob that has been made of the fabric recovering, even being authentic enough for the edges of the reinforcing tape to have been frayedbefore doping. What could be seen of the fuselage indicated that most of the structure was original except some wooden numbersaround the engine bay. Also surprising was the use of so many
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