After M. Pegoud's exhibition of upside-down flying in this country it
was only to be expected that British aviators would emulate his daring
feat. Indeed, on the same day that the little Frenchman was turning
somersaults in the air at Brooklands Mr. Hamel was asking M. Bleriot for
a machine similar to that used by Pegoud, so that he might demonstrate
to airmen the stability of the aeroplane in almost all conceivable
positions.
However, it was not the daring and skilful Hamel who had the honour of
first following in Pegoud's footsteps, but another celebrated pilot, Mr.
Hucks.
Mr. Hucks was an interested spectator at Brooklands when Pegoud flew
there in September, and he felt that, given similar conditions,
there was no reason why he should not repeat Pegoud's performance. He
therefore talked the matter over with M. Bleriot, and began practising
for his great ordeal.
His first feat was to hang upside-down in a chair supported by a beam
in one of the sheds, so that he would gradually become accustomed to the
novel position. For a time this was not at all easy. Have you ever tried
to stand on your hands with your feet upwards for any length of time?
To realize the difficulty of being head downwards, just do this, and
get someone to hold your legs. The blood will, of course, "rush to the
head", as we say, and the congestion of the blood-vessels in this part
of the body will make you feel extremely dizzy. Such an occurrence would
be fatal in an aeroplane nearly a mile high in the air at a time
when one requires an especially clear brain to manipulate the various
controls.
But, strange to say, the airman gradually became used to the
"heels-over-head" position, and, feeling sure of himself, he determined
to start on his perilous undertaking. No one with the exception of
M. Bleriot and the mechanics were present at the Buc aerodrome, near
Versailles, when Mr. Hucks had his monoplane brought out with the
intention of looping the loop.
He quickly rose to a height of 1500 feet, and then, slowly dipping the
nose of his machine, turned right over. For fully half a minute he flew
underneath the monoplane, and then gradually brought it round to the
normal position.
In the afternoon he continued his experiments, but this time at a height
of nearly 3000 feet. At this altitude he was flying quite steadily, when
suddenly he assumed a perpendicular position, and made a dive of about
600 feet. The horrified spectators thought that the gallant aviator
had lost control of his machine and was dashing straight to Earth, but
quickly he changed his direction and slowly planed upwards. Then almost
as suddenly he turned a complete somersault. Righting the aeroplane, he
rose in a succession of spiral flights to a height of between 3000 and
3500 feet, and then looped the loop twice in quick succession.
On coming to earth M. Bleriot heartily congratulated the brave
Englishman. Mr. Hucks admitted a little nervousness before looping the
loop; but, as he remarked: "Once I started to go round my nervousness
vanished, and then I knew I was coming out on top. It is all a question
of keeping control of your nerves, and Pegoud deserved all the credit,
for he was the first to risk his life in flying head downwards."
Mr. Hucks intended to be the first Englishman to fly upside down in
England, but he was forestalled by one of our youngest airmen, Mr.
George Lee Temple. On account of his youth--Mr. Temple was only
twenty-one at the time when he first flew upside-down--he was known as
the "baby airman", but there was probably no more plucky airman in the
world.
There were special difficulties which Mr. Temple had to overcome that
did not exist in the experiments of M. Pegoud or Mr. Hucks. To start
with, his machine--a 50-horse-power Bleriot monoplane--was said by
the makers to be unsuitable for the performance. Then he could get no
assistance from the big aeroplane firms, who sought to dissuade him from
his hazardous undertaking. Experienced aviators wisely shook their heads
and told the "baby airman" that he should have more practice before he
took such a risk.
But notwithstanding this lack of encouragement he practised hard for
a few days by hanging in an inverted position. Meanwhile his mechanics
were working night and day in strengthening the wings of the monoplane,
and fitting it with a slightly larger elevator.
On 24th November, 1913, he decided to "try his luck" at the London
aerodrome. He was harnessed into his seat, and, bidding his friends
farewell, with the words "wish me luck", he went aloft. For nearly
half an hour he climbed upward, and swooped over the aerodrome in wide
circles, while his friends far below were watching every action of his
machine.
Suddenly an alarming incident occurred. When about a mile high in the
air the machine tipped downwards and rushed towards Earth at terrific
speed. Then the tail of the machine came up, and the "baby airman" was
hanging head downwards.
But at this point the group of airmen standing in the aerodrome were
filled with alarm, for it was quite evident to their experienced eyes
that the monoplane was not under proper control. Indeed, it was actually
side-slipping, and a terrible disaster appeared imminent. For hundreds
of feet the young pilot, still hanging head downwards, was crashing
to Earth, but when down to about 1200 feet from the ground the machine
gradually came round, and Mr. Temple descended safely to Earth.
The airman afterwards told his friends that for several seconds he
could not get the machine to answer the controls, and for a time he was
falling at a speed of 100 miles an hour. In ordinary circumstances he
thought that a dive of 500 feet after the upside-down stretch should
get him the right way up, but it really took him nearly 1500 feet.
Fortunately, however, he commenced the dive at a great altitude, and so
the distance side-slipped did not much matter.
It is sad to relate that Mr. Temple lost his life in January, 1914,
while flying at Hendon in a treacherous wind. The actual cause of the
accident was never clearly understood. He had not fully recovered from
an attack of influenza, and it was thought that he fainted and fell
over the control lever while descending near one of the pylons, when the
machine "turned turtle", and the pilot's neck was broken.