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CHAPTER IV

The following is extracted from the official notices issued to members of the Royal Aero Club, under date June 7th, 1913:

“Mortimer Singer £500 Prize.

“Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith is now ready to make the flight for this prize, and attempts will be made almost immediately. The course is on the Solent, and the official observers on behalf of the Club are Lieut. Spencer D. Gray, R.N., and Mr. J. N. Spottiswoode. The aircraft is a Sopwith Tractor biplane fitted with 100 h.p. Gnome engine. The pilot is Mr. H. G. Hawker. In this competition, six out and home flights have to be made on a course from a point on the land to a point out at sea, not less than five miles distant in a direct line, but the latter point shall not be less than one mile from any shore. Alightings have to be made on arrival at each point.”

In short, Harry had been detailed to carry out pioneer work with the Amphibian type of aircraft, the initial development of which is popularly, but erroneously, supposed to have been the outcome of the prizes offered by the Air Ministry in 1919 for machines of this type.

Extracts from Royal Aero Club notices to members, under date June 21st, 1913:

“Mortimer Singer £500 Prize.

“Intending competitors are again reminded that this competition is now open.

“Mr. H. G. Hawker on a Sopwith biplane has already made one or two attempts, and will be going again as soon as some minor alterations to the aircraft have been completed. In giving the specification of the aircraft used by Mr. Hawker, an error was made in regard to the motor. The aircraft is fitted with a 100 h.p. Green.”

“Height Records.

“Mr. H. G. Hawker has been keeping the officials of the Club fairly busy of late. On Sunday last, with the Sopwith biplane, he made an attempt on the British Height Record with two passengers. The record of 8,400 feet stands to the credit of Major E. L. Gerrard, R.M.L.I. Mr. Hawker, however, managed to top the 8,000 feet but did not surpass the existing record. The following day, Monday, with another Sopwith biplane, he set out for the record with one passenger. The present official record is 10,560 feet, standing to the credit of Lieut. G. de Havilland. Mr. Hawker, according to the sealed barograph, attained a height of about 12,000 feet. After about half an hour’s rest he decided to make another attempt on the two-passenger record, and on this occasion his barograph recorded about 10,000 ft.

The barographs are now being tested, and the figures will be duly submitted to the Committee of the Club for official recognition.

It is interesting to note that these three flights by Mr. Hawker were all made within 24 hours.”

These altitude flights certainly bore great testimony to Harry’s characteristic untiring energy. On the 16th, although it was a sweltering day, Harry, at 7,000 feet, was shivering, and at 12,000 feet he could scarcely move his limbs, so intense was the cold. With one passenger he reached 13,400 feet, rather more than the figure stated in the above notice, and with two passengers 10,800 feet, also exceeding the figure stated in the official notice. It is a point of interest that his record flight with one passenger beat his own solo record of 11,450 feet, which he had made on May 31st.

When Harry made his attempt on June 15th, it was thought he had broken Major Gerrard’s record for two passengers; and reports to that effect purported to show that a height of 8,580 feet had been attained, approximately 180 feet in excess of Major Gerrard’s performance. Harry’s passengers were Messrs. Dukinfield Jones and Simms, a young pilot who served in the Sopwith Works. The sky was absolutely cloudless and throughout the flight the machine was fully in view of the spectators, who marvelled at its beauty as it turned and returned with the sun glistening on its light wings. Engine trouble was responsible for the termination of the attempt, and, on landing, Harry was received with warm applause. He announced his intention of making an early attempt on the one-passenger height record (which he successfully accomplished on the following day, as recorded above).

A detailed examination of the various official notices and Press reports relating to the Mortimer Singer Competition points to considerable doubt having existed among those not actually on the spot as to the exact type of Sopwith machine employed. While it is true that in one case the inadvertence in announcing that the engine was a Gnome instead of a Green was officially acknowledged, in other cases such expressions as “Sopwith Tractor biplane” were misleading, in that they gave no indication as to the machine being a flying-boat, and not fitted with a tractor air-screw at that. While these points were of no material consequence, they do show the probability of a wide confusion having existed owing to the great variety of successful Sopwith machines; and, although it was before the war, the industry was reaching a state when the various machines could no longer be counted on the finger-tips. Seeing that Mr. Sopwith himself attributed the success of his enterprise in no small measure to Harry’s genius, references to the progress of the Sopwith concern, such as the foregoing, are not out of place here.

Of the divers machines under construction at the Sopwith Works during June may be mentioned a “gun bus” for naval use. This machine, propelled by two 120 h.p. Austro-Daimler engines, had a span of 80 feet. Then there were the 100 h.p. Green-engined twin-float hydro-aeroplane, designed for the Daily Mail Circuit of Great Britain; and the air-boat which won the Mortimer Singer Competition, as described above, also engined with the 100 h.p. Green. When this machine passed its first tests on the sea a wind of 40 miles per hour was blowing, and the sea was correspondingly rough. The machine differed from the original “Bat Boat” exhibited at the Aero Show in the previous February, in that a pair of inclined struts were introduced between the engine and the fore part of the hull. So effective was the hull in hydroplaning over the water, that the front elevator, a feature of the original “Bat Boat,” was abandoned.

Then, during the month, a new Sopwith 100 h.p. Anzani-engined tractor hydro-aeroplane was tested by Harry and handed over to the Admiralty. The tests were passed very satisfactorily, the machine leaving rough water almost as quickly as the corresponding land machine left the ground. A speed of 68 miles per hour was attained, and the machine had particularly good climbing and alighting qualities. The machine was badly damaged immediately after being taken over by the Admiralty, a broken propeller and punctured float being the result of a collision with a mooring-buoy. The use of ailerons was now standard practice throughout the whole range of Sopwith machines, warping wings having been abandoned.

With such a variety of types, one can easily understand confusion arising from the circulation of brief reports stating that “Hawker, on a Sopwith biplane, etc....” As for Harry, he was obtaining an unique experience in the handling and maintenance of several types of aeroplanes and engines.

In June, the Sopwith Aviation Company contemplated acquiring yet another skating-rink—at Surbiton this time—in order to cope with increasing orders. Over one hundred hands were now employed over a floor space of 60,000 square feet. Foreign governments were sending over deputations, to whom Harry had the responsibility of demonstrating the airworthiness and efficiency of the Sopwith machines. The Sopwith Tractor biplanes were particularly in demand. Among the orders executed by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the summer of 1913 may be mentioned one of nine 80 h.p. Gnome-engined tractor biplanes for the Army and two similar machines for the Navy, all of which were tested by Harry at Brooklands.

In a Cross-Country Handicap over a 12-mile course in which Harry competed at Brooklands in June, he was too heavily handicapped to be any but an “also ran.” The weather was ideal, except for a slight haze. Flying pupils, who took part in the race as well as instructors, probably scored advantageously in the handicapping. Harry’s machine, the Sopwith Tractor, with so many records as were to its credit, could hardly be expected to escape with a slight handicap.

Harry captured the Mortimer Singer prize of £500 on Tuesday, July 8th, 1913, making, without any outside assistance, six out and home five-mile passenger flights (including a climb of 1,500 feet), alighting at each turning-point, on land or sea alternately. The flights were carried out at Southampton Water, on the 100 h.p. Green Sopwith flying-boat.

Extract from official notices to members of the Royal Aero Club, issued under date July 12th, 1913.

Mortimer Singer £500 Prize.

“News has just reached the Club of the success of the Sopwith Aviation Company in this competition. The pilot was Mr. H. G. Hawker, on a Sopwith Tractor biplane, fitted with 100 h.p. Green motor. The flights were made at Cowes on Tuesday afternoon, and the official observers of the Royal Aero Club were Mr. J. N. Spottiswoode and Mr. Howard T. Wright.

“The reports of the observers and barograph charts will be considered by the Committee of the Club on Tuesday next, and if everything is in order the prize of £500, kindly presented by Mr. A. Mortimer Singer, will be awarded.”

Extract from official notices issued to members of the Royal Aero Club under date July 19th, 1913.

“Mortimer Singer £500 Prize.

“The £500 prize, kindly put up for competition by Mr. A. Mortimer Singer, has been awarded to Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith, the entrant of the Sopwith biplane, which successfully accomplished the tests laid down in the rules. Mr. H. G. Hawker was the pilot of the aircraft, and the course was from a point on the land off Southampton Water to a point on the Solent, five miles away. Six out and home flights had to be made, alighting on arrival at each point. In each flight an altitude of at least 750 feet had to be attained, and on one occasion during the tests an altitude of 1,500 feet. The time allowed for the carrying out of the tests was 5 hours, but Mr. Hawker completed in 3 hours, 25 minutes.

“The following is the specification relating to the all-British aircraft used by Mr. Hawker:

“Sopwith Biplane. Motor, 100 h.p. Green; Carburetter, Zenith; Magneto, British Bosch; Sparking-plugs, British Bosch; Propeller, Lang.

“In addition to the prize of £500 to Mr. Sopwith, Mr. A. Mortimer Singer is kindly presenting Mr. H. G. Hawker with a souvenir.”

The R.Ae.C. notices of July 12th, 1913, also contained the following:

“Daily Mail £5,000 Prize: Circuit of Great Britain.

“The following entry for the Daily Mail £5,000 Prize, Circuit of Great Britain, has been received:

The Sopwith Aviation Co.

“Intending competitors are reminded that the entries close on July 16th, 1913, at 12 noon.”

On Saturday, July 13th, 1913, Harry fresh from winning the Mortimer Singer prize on Tuesday, was out testing a novel but useless idea in propellers on the Sopwith Tractor at Brooklands. Two penalties of fame which Harry had to pay on not a few occasions during his career were posing for photographers and testing inventions for all and sundry.

After testing a new tractor biplane fitted with ailerons, on Sunday, the 13th, Harry engaged in a friendly race with Hamel, who was flying a two-seater Blériot monoplane. Both machines had 80 h.p. Gnome engines. Although there was some doubt as to who really won the race, that Harry displayed the superior efficiency of the Sopwith biplane over the exactly similarly engined monoplane was beyond dispute.

Harry made a world’s record for height with three passengers on Sunday, July 27th, 1913, on the 80 h.p. Gnome-engined Sopwith Tractor biplane. On this occasion the weather was inclined to be hazy, and in a preliminary test flight Harry lost sight of the aerodrome at 1,500 feet, but from the ground he was plainly discernible, and spectators were amused by watching him circling around trying to find his bearings. Although it was rather windy, he carried one or two passengers early in the afternoon, and it was shortly after 5 o’clock, when the wind had dropped somewhat, that he decided to attempt to break the world’s record for altitude with three passengers. His passengers, Messrs. Bellew, Jones, and King, were all of at least average weight.

A few minutes past six the record-making flight began, and after making two or three circuits of Brooklands, Harry was out of sight, forcing his way upwards through clouds at 3,000 feet, At 8,400 feet, having made a world’s record, and being ignorant of his whereabouts, he decided to come down, although the machine could have climbed another 2,000 feet with comparative ease.

On August Bank Holiday, Harry, on an 80 h.p. Gnome-engined Sopwith Tractor biplane, was one of three competitors who lined up for the start of an Aeroplane Handicap at Brooklands. The other competitors were Alcock on the Parsons biplane (70 h.p. Gnome), who had 3 minutes 30 seconds’ start from Harry, and Merriam on a 50 h.p. Bristol biplane, who has 6 minutes 14 seconds’ start. The start of the race was delayed through Alcock and Champel, the latter on a biplane of his own design, coming into collision while “taxi-ing,” owing to the strong gusty wind which prevailed. The Frenchman’s biplane was damaged beyond repair in time for the race, but Alcock’s machine only required a new propeller, which was fitted in the space of ten minutes or so.

Fate, however, was sadly opposed to Alcock, for during the first circuit he was obliged, through defective aileron controls, to land in a neighbouring field, where, owing to the roughness of the ground, his machine turned a complete somersault. He was unhurt, and having regard to the nature of the crash, the damage, consisting of a broken propeller and a broken chassis strut, was very slight. As I write, I recall a discussion that once took place on the subject of the life of a propeller, and this case of two propellers being annihilated within an interval of a few minutes after one had replaced another on the same machine seems significantly applicable.

After an exciting race, Merriam and Harry completed the course, the latter winning by 45 seconds.

In the intervening days prior to August 16th, Harry was more or less fully occupied in making preparations for the classic Daily Mail Seaplane Circuit of Britain. On August 7th, 1913, with the whole aeronautical fraternity, he shared profound grief at the death of S. F. Cody—the hardest blow that British aviation had ever received. Although Brooklands was fairly busy while Harry was away in the seaplane race, the activities at the Sopwith sheds were to all intents and purposes nil. The attention of everyone connected with the concern was turned to his flight and doing everything possible to make its outcome successful.

Entries for the Daily Mail Seaplane Race were timed to close on Wednesday, July 16th, 1913, and after that date until August 1st late entries were accepted at an increased fee of £150. When the list finally closed the entrants were: T. O. M. Sopwith, S. F. Cody, James Radley, and F. K. McClean. Cruel fate eliminated poor Cody on August 7th. Radley, who, with Gordon England, was experimenting with a large and ingeniously-contrived seaplane propelled by three Gnome engines arranged in tandem, withdrew from the race, presumably because his machine was purely in experimental stages. McClean, who had entered a machine bearing the famous British hall-mark of Short Brothers, was dogged by ill-luck through engine trouble and never made a start, although no effort was spared in trying to get the machine in tune for the long flight. In the end, only Harry and his faithful mechanic and compatriot, Kauper, were left to try and win that £5,000 so generously offered by the Daily Mail, and, what was probably more important, to put up an interesting show and draw widespread public opinion to the importance of Britain acquiring and maintaining an aerial prestige akin to her maritime traditions.

The competition opened on August 16th, 1913, and within 72 consecutive hours competitors had to fly over a circuit of 1,540 miles, starting and finishing on Southampton Water, via Ramsgate, Yarmouth, Scarborough, Aberdeen, Oban, Dublin, and Falmouth, landing in prescribed areas on the sea at each of these points, or “controls,” for the purposes of identification. The competition was conducted for the proprietors of the Daily Mail under the auspices of the Royal Aero Club, whose organisation of the contest was most thorough and effective. The competition was open for a fortnight. In other words, competitors could attempt the flight in any 72 consecutive hours between August 16th (6 a.m.) and August 30th (6 p.m.) inclusive, no flying taking place on Sundays, which would not be included in the time limit. Thus competitors could fly on Saturday, rest on Sunday, and finish on Monday and Tuesday. The entrant and pilot, or pilots, were required to be of British nationality and duly entered on the Competitors’ Register of the Royal Aero Club, pilots having to be holders of an aviator’s certificate issued by the Royal Aero Club or other club affiliated to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. A passenger had to be carried throughout the flights, and the combined weight of the pilot and passenger must not be less than 264 lbs., any deficiency in this respect being made up by means of ballast, such as bags of sand. Entrants were permitted to change the pilots or passengers during the contest.

The complete aircraft and all its component parts, including the motor, had to be constructed within the confines of the British Empire, although this provision need not apply to raw material or the magneto. Entries nominally closed on July 16th, one month before the date appointed for the start of the competition. The entrance fee was £100. Late entries could be made up to August 1st at an increased fee, as mentioned above. No part of the entrance fees was required by the Daily Mail, all amounts received being applied towards payment of the expenses of the Royal Aero Club in conducting the competition, any balance not so expended being returnable to the entrants after the competition.

Competing machines had to remain for one hour in each of the controls, and during the first half-hour of each such “rest” had to be entirely at the disposal of the Royal Aero Club officials for examination. During the second half-hour replenishments of fuel and repairs could be made. These periods of one hour at each of the control points en route were not counted within the prescribed 72 hours. Any number of starts could be made from the official starting-line at Southampton Water, under the supervision of the responsible officials.

Stoppages between the controls were not against the rules, but all alightings had to be effected on the sea, an inlet of the sea, an estuary, or a harbour. There was, therefore, no special scope for amphibians in this competition, as an alighting on land or inland water was deemed a disqualification. Alightings on the Caledonian Canal and towing anywhere were not prohibited, but the finishing-line had to be crossed in flight. The short time limit of 72 hours did not permit one deliberately to take advantage of this concession by covering the whole course in tow! Individual replacements and repairs to the aeroplane and engine could be made en route, but neither could be changed as a whole. To make such repairs and replacements, the machine could be taken ashore, but all the time so expended, outside the half-hour allowed at the controls, counted as flying time. Five parts of the aeroplane and five parts of the motor were officially sealed, and at least two such seals of each five had to be intact on arrival at each control. The machine had to be delivered completely erected at a place appointed by the Royal Aero Club at Southampton, and handed over for the purpose of being marked and sealed, at least 24 hours before a start was to be made. No marks or seals were to be made after the original marking made preparatory to an attempt. Each competitor was supplied with a time-card, or “pay-bill,” which had to be signed by the responsible official of the Royal Aero Club at each control, and competitors were held solely responsible for the safe custody of this card.

Competitors were required to be equipped with lifebelts or other appliances for keeping afloat. One useful provision made by the Royal Aero Club was free shed accommodation at the starting-point from one week prior to the opening of the competition until the closing date.