Wednesday, October 30, 2013

1913 Short Brothers Biplane

Henry R.Palmer; This was Air Travel, Bonanza Books 1967
Aviation making progress in comfort. The three-passenger cockpit is enclosed but still offered no protection from the wind for the upper half of the passengers. A windshield would have been nice, this plane could attain a creditable 58 mph with its 80hp Gnome Rhome engine.
 A plane of this type, outfitted with floats and piloted by British aviation pioneer Francis McClean flew up the Nile to Khartoum and back in early 1914. The 1400 mile flight took 11 weeks as the engine failed 13 times.
 Francis McClean (later Sir Francis) was no stranger to adventure, in 1912 he had become the first person to fly under all of London's bridges.

The Short S 80 The Nile
British Aircraft before the Great War Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 

No comments: