Shuttleworth trust meetings
THE Shuttleworth Trust announces that this year its very enjoyable Flying Displays will take place, weather permitting (but the Museum of cars and aeroplanes will be open anyway) on Easter Monday April 12th, May 30th, July 25th and September 26th, admission costing £2 per adult, £1 per child, cars with all occupants £8 each, landing fees £8, or £4 for single-seater aeroplanes. Informal flying meetings are scheduled for May 16th, June 27th, August 8th, August 29th and October 31st, all Sundays, from 2.15 to 4.30 pm, fees the same, but cars £1. Flying evenings will happen on June 5th and July 17th, from 7 p.m. – W. B.
The “London’s Flying Start” Exhibition
THE MUSEUM of London, located at the St. Paul’s end of London Wall, convenient to St. Paul’s, Moorgate or Barbican Underground stations, has staged a display related to early flying in the London area. There is a full-sized replica of A. V. Roe’s triplane, first all-British machine to fly, from Hackney Marshes, an assembly of components, documents, engines, etc. relating to the old Olympia air exhibitions, the Hendon and Brooklands aeroplane races and the achievements of many pioneer pilots, and a third aspect is photographic coverage of other aviation happenings at Brooklands. The Exhibition will remain open until May 6th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday, and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission to the Museum is free but a charge of 60p per adult, 30p per child, is being made for entry to the “London’s Flying Start” exhibition. — W.B.
The Guildhall Air Race
A RACE is due from the Guildhall, London, to the Guildhall, Londonderry, no May 22nd, crews in which will leave the London Guildhall Yard in the vintage cars at 10 a.m., despatched by the Lord Mayor of London. The handicap air-race is scheduled to start at 10 p.m., finishing at about 5 p.m. at Eglinton Airport. Details from the Royal Aero Club.
That Cross Channel Glider
BARRY ROLFE, Administrator of the British Gliding Association, has provided us with some extracts from pre-war issues of The Sailplane which give some further details about Lissant Beardmore’s claim to have made the first crossing of the English Channel by glider.
The Daily Mail offered a prize off 1,000 for the first out-and-back crossing of the Channel by a glider. Tow starts were permitted, and the competition opened on June 20th, 1931. Herr Robert Kronfeld, an Austrian, won the contest on the opening day by flying his “Wien” machine (presented to him by the citizens of Vienna) out-and-back.
However, Lissant Beardmore, with the apparent co-operation of the Daily Express, crossed the Channel in one direction the previous day “to secure for Britain the honour of the first crossing”.
He left Lympne aerodrome at 4.20 p.m., towed by an Avro 504K. He climbed to a height of some 12,000 ft. before being cast off over Folkestone. However, as The Sailplane for June 26th, 1931 reported, the “Professor” glider was not cleared from Lympne until 5.30 p.m. but was reported at St. Inglevert at 6.03 p.m., leaving a mere 33 min. for the crossing. As the flight was not officially observed and no barograph was carried, there was some controversy about the actual point of release from the Avro, and the flight was never officially recognised by the British Gliding Association.
Lissant Beardmore was killed in a flying accident at Reading in June of 1936.