Hi,
A specially adapted Hawker Horsley made three attempts at long range flights in the late 1920’s.
The first flight was from Cranwell to India but the aircraft suffered from engine problems and came down near Bandar Abbas on the Perisan Gulf.
A second flight came to an end after only one hour in the air, while the third ended in Austria when the aircraft came down in the Danube.
I’m very interested in these flights and would like to know more. Does anyone have any more details on these flights?
Regards,
Alex
By: JDK - 8th October 2006 at 01:58
“…The aeroplane was so grossly overloaded that the tyres burst while it stood awaiting its crew at Cranwell. After 34 1/2 hours in the air they were forced down at Jask on the Persian Gulf 3,420 miles away. Two hours later their unofficial record was beaten by Charles Lindbergh’s flight from New York to Paris.”
Sometimes it’s just not your lucky day! There should be a ‘Harriet Quimby’ Award for eclipsed aviation achievements.
(Harriet was the first woman to fly across the English Channel, but the newspapers all concentrated on some story about a ship and an iceberg – can’t quite recall the ship’s name…)
By: Alex Crawford - 7th October 2006 at 13:26
Hi Papa Lima,
Many thanks for your reply, very useful indeed.
Alex
By: Papa Lima - 7th October 2006 at 11:57
Scanned from “Hawker Aircraft since 1920” by Francis K Mason.
By: Papa Lima - 7th October 2006 at 11:29
From page 35 of “Test Pilots” by the late Don Middleton:
“The Horsley, named after Harry Hawker’s old home, Horsley Towers, was under test (1925); a day-bomber/torpedo carrier, it gave good service in the RAF. George (Bulman) was fully responsible for the Mark II Horsley, including the modifications to J8607 in preparation for a non-stop flight from Cranwell to India. The pilot was to be Flt Lt C. R. Carr, later Air Marshal Sir Roderick, with Flt Lt L. E. M. Gillman as his navigator. The aeroplane was so grossly overloaded that the tyres burst while it stood awaiting its crew at Cranwell. After 34 1/2 hours in the air they were forced down at Jask on the Persian Gulf 3,420 miles away. Two hours later their unofficial record was beaten by Charles Lindbergh’s flight from New York to Paris.”
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October 7, 2006 at 11:03 am