Robert Loraine..first to land on the IOW

Did you know that…Today July 16th marks the 100th anniversary of the first aeroplane to land on the Isle of Wight!

The pilot being actor / aviator Robert Loraine, who got a bit lost on a ‘local’ flight from Bournemouth in 1910. The precautionary landing of his Farman biplane on the golf links at Freshwater causing much excitment.

Though disputed in certain circles, he is also credited as the first person to use the word ‘Joystick’ to describe the control column.