Laffans Plain
LAFFAN’S PLAIN: Once basically a private facility for Cody, later part of the military aerodrome
Note: This picture was scanned from John Fabb's excellent book, Flying and Ballooning - from old photographs. The 'shed' just visible behind the aircraft, (the term hangar wasn't adopted until WW1 from the French term), is most probably where Cody built the aircraft. However, it appears too small to allow the aircraft to be moved in and out fully rigged. Then again, in those days, this would not have been seen as a problem as invariably aircraft were constantly taken apart to be modified, or indeed to be repaired which was also a very common situation.
Operated by: Royal Aircraft Factory airfield.
Note: Samuel F Cody was allowed to erect a shed (hangar) and continue with flying experiments from 1909.
Location: Part of and at the western end of the present day Farnborough aerodrome
Period of operation: 1903 to present day
Runways: Mostly rough ‘All over’ grass and scrub 'airfield' when Cody used the site
NOTES: It is said that in 1903 the Balloon Section at SOUTH FARNBOROUGH moved to LAFFAN’S PLAIN, FARNBOROUGH but this appears slightly incorrect? As I understand it the Balloon Section moved to the eastern site where most of the RAE buildings developed later and LAFFAN’S PLAIN is at the western end of present day FARNBOROUGH.
At some point, (perhaps in 1903?) it appears that during man-carrying kite trials a Cody kite lifted Sapper Moreton to 2,600ft. However, it appears not known if this trial used the Laffin's Plain end of Farnborough Common.
THE 'FIRST' OFFICIAL FLIGHT IN THE UK?
It is invariably claimed that the first ‘official’ successful powered flight in Britain was by Samuel Franklin Cody on 16th October 1908, during which he flew a total distance of 1,390ft (424 metres), similar to the take-off run required by many modern light aircraft, in the British Army Aeroplane No.1 at a maximum height of about 30ft.
Or so it now seems? Mr Cody ended up crashing this aeroplane, so it was hardly a fully controlled flight, and indeed, even he himself (a great showman), made no claims for it being the first powered flight in the UK either. Later two principal witnesses of this ‘so called flight’ contradicted each other about the time of day, the location and the circumstances. Indeed, it would seem our knowledge of it mainly derives from a report from the Station Commander, Col John Capper who had to submit an official account regarding how the damage was caused.
Doubly awkard it appears, as Cody was using the only engine the airship section had available.
WHERE DOES THE TRUTH LIE?
But, I have also found an account stating that on the 19th September Cody ‘flew’ or hopped for 200ft. This, if true, obviously being discounted as being a ‘flight’ as quite rightly British and European aviators did not regard experimental airborne 'hops' as being flights. And yet, incredibly the FAI recorded the ‘hop’ in ground effect of 120ft by the Wright Brothers in December 1903 as being the first flight!
All because, I suppose, a photograph was taken of this ‘hop’? By these utterly false standards it seems entirely fair that Cody is credited with making the first ‘flight’ in the UK although he was certainly not the first to actually ‘fly’ or 'hop' in a powered aircraft in the UK.
Today of course we Brits tend to falsely attribute the first British “flight” to S F Cody on LAFFAN’S PLAIN (HAMPSHIRE) in October 1908. Perhaps this accident had a ‘knock-on effect’ towards the huge degree of affection the British people felt for this most singular man when he died in a tragic flying accident when his aircraft fell apart in mid-air over LAFFAN'S PLAIN. And having shortly before this happened, he had taken up British citizenship.
It was very clear, after the fatal accideant, that such was the regard the British public had for Cody, that he was then accorded a funeral which was tantamount to a State funeral. Needless to say the ever hypocritical British ‘establishment’, (then and even now), ceased this opportunity with relish, conveniently forgetting they consistently failed to wholly support Cody.
According to Harald Penrose in his excellent book British Aviation - The Pioneer Years, the 'Cody' Army Aeroplane was built in the Balloon Shed at FARNBOROUGH during 1908 and it was from this end of the site that the first taxying trials took place, a couple of which resulted in it becoming airborne, but hardly under control. It appears that during one of these trials, Cody became airborne, the absence of wheel tracks measured 78 yards. This occurred on the 30th September 1908.
Another possibly more delberate flight was made by Cody in early October, this time covering 1,390 ft at a height of between 10 to 20 feet. It was this flight which ended in a fairly substantial crash which required Col. Capper to submit a report - dated 16/10/08. Later, in early 1909 after repairs and alterations had been made, Capper reported: "Mr. Cody had arranged with me that he should not leave ground, except for short hops, on Farnborough Common; any extended trials were to done on Laffan's Plain.
It was only after the Government decided to stop funding fixed-wing powered aircraft experiments that Cody moved to LAFFIN'S PLAIN. To quote Harald Penrose: "For the two 'official' British pioneers things were going from bad to worse. A bombshell to Cody and Dunne was the arrival at Farnborough of the War Minister to break the news that experimental work with aeroplanes had proved too costly, as £2,500 had already been expended without effective result, and therefore their appointments must be terminated." It must of course be borne in mind that in France for example, Wilbur Wright had been demonstrating their 'Flyer' with flights of up to one and a half hours including many fully controllable turns. And of course of aviators in Europe were snapping at Wilbur's heels.
"As a sop they were given their machines so that they could continue experiments privately. It was a sad blow. Capper seems to have expressed himself so forcibly that his own career was jeopardised. Rushing to the aid of his protégés, he pressed the Short brothers to make arrangements for housing the Dunne at Eastchurch......- and Cody was urged to apply to the War Office for permission to use Laffin's Plain. The Government still owed Cody £5,000 for his man-lifting kite invention, and as he had considerable capital from his stage and show career, he was confident of continuing to develop his aeroplane."
Note: These pictures have been scanned from; British Aviation - The Pioneer Years, by Harald Penrose, first published in 1967.
THE PROOF IF PROOF IS NEEDED
The history of Government support for an aircraft type nearing completion and nearly ready for service being suddenly withdrawn after the development costs had already been spent, echoes across the years. Think about TSR2.
Once again from Harald Penrose: "At Laffan's Plain Cody was in the even happier position of being able to show Col. Capper that had the authorities continued support they would have had a successful vehicle. On August 11th he tried his aeroplane for the first time in its reconstructed form and was delighted to find how well it flew with the new E.N.V. at no more than cruising power. He recorded: 'I find my new position in front of the engine has a much more sensational effect on the nerves than the old position, in fact, until last night I never knew I had any nerves'.
Cody had of course moved the engine rearwards to get a better centre of gravity. 'I think however I shall get over this slight timidness after a few runs..... I hope to carry my first passengers before the end of the week'.
"In the next three days he flew several times, and on Saturday evening, August 14th, Col. Capper came across, (My note: From the FARNBOROUGH establishment), and took the passenger's seat for a mile flight to Danger Hill, where Cody landed, turned the machine on the ground, then flew his passenger back. Immediately afterwards he trook his game little wife for a flight to the lower end of the Plain and back, having first bound her skirt and petticoat round her ankles with several turns of rope to prevent them flying in the wind. With these flights Cody had gained a long lead over everyone in England."
Note: This photo from Flight was published in 'The History of British Aviation, 1908 to 1914' by R Dallas Brett, (Publisher John Hamilton Ltd) c.1933.
NOT THE END FOR AEROPLANES
"However, the Balloon Factory was not to be entirely destitute of aeroplane interest. Charles Rolls, (My note: Of Rolls-Royce fame), now renewed his offer to give the War Office an aeroplane for Army training. This time the Government accepted, and Rolls nominated the duplicate Wright biplane he had ordered among the batch of six under construction by Short brother at Leysdown." Younger readers should also bear in mind that at this time, Great Britain still had the largest Empire the world had ever seen! This says rather a lot about the mindset of those in control of it and their vision of the future. A vision and attitudes shared incidentally by the vast majority of the British public. The Royal Flying Corps of the British Army had still not come into being.
And yet, in 1908, the British Army had issued a quite demanding specification for an aeroplane. It is all a complex and difficult period in our history to fully understand.
And finally, back to Harald Penrose: "That May C. G. Grey visited the officially rejected Cody - who, after camping with his aeroplane in the open, had completed a narrow shed to house it at the end of Laffan's Plain near Eelmore Bridge, close to the pine-fringed, sandy main road linking Aldershot and Fleet." To cut a long story short, Cody did indeed succeed and during the trials at LARKHILL on Salisbury Plain in 1910 it is claimed that his aeroplane was the best all-round performer.
BALLOONS AND AIRSHIPS
It must be remembered just how important balloons and airships were during this period of the early twentieth century when aeroplanes were still in their infancy. Much more important and nigh on by then totally accepted as means of aerial navigation rather than the ‘new fangled’ fixed wing aircraft idea. The Royal Aircraft Factory in those early aviation years was almost totally involved in ‘lighter than air’ machines.
A good example of how confusion seems to reign concerns the following accounts I have found: For example this is illustrated by the military career of Squadron Commander, (later Wing Commander), John Norman Fletcher. By the age of 23 he was already a Major in the Royal Engineers when he transferred to the Air Battalion in July 1912. Soon after to be awarded RAeC Aeronaut’s Certificate No:24.
However, in another account we are told that John Fletcher learnt to fly fixed wing aircraft in 1912 at LAFFINS PLAIN by Samuel F Cody, being granted RAeC Certificate No.229 in June 1912 flying a Cody biplane. So, which account is correct? Perhaps neither are?
He was obviously not at all impressed regarding the future of fixed-wing aircraft and, having flown the non-rigid Gamma 1, Beta and Delta early airships went on to become the first person to undertake an operational wartime flight when he flew H.M.A. No.4 on the 5th August, 1914. Shortly after he was appointed to be the Admiralty overseer and Senior Naval Officer at BARROW.
Obviously a very capable person indeed, what do his career decisions teach us today? I would venture two suggestions; first, at that time airships were very important to the military. Who reads about this being the case today? Second, that very few people,saw the potential for the fixed wing aircraft in a wartime role. But, just two years later by 1916, the situation regarding aviation priorities had been nigh on completely reversed.
In January 1915 the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston .S. Churchill, (Later Sir Winston of WW2 fame), circulated a minute around Whitehall proposing that all work on rigid airships be cancelled…(and)..concentrated on heavier-than-air machines. Not so very long after the German Zeppelin ‘bomber’ airships arrived over SE England creating far more fear than damage. These of course were attacked by fighter aircraft which were evolving at a phenomenal rate as was the skills of the pilots and everybody else concerned with their operation. (The extreme dangers of night flying are recorded elsewhere)
A CHANGE IN DESIGN PRIORITIES
Going back just a couple of years, in 1913, the BE2c was designed at FARNBOROUGH and first flew from here proving itself to be certainly the first truly stable British general-purpose aeroplane. (Perhaps the first practical truly stable aircraft in the world some claim?). Almost needless to say (?) further research shows that, in fact, John William Dunne first developed a totally stable design – at FARNBOROUGH. First as a glider, later powered. Flight trials were conducted in upmost secrecy from Blair Atholl in Scotland in 1908.
Within a year or so of course the tables had turned and relatively unstable aircraft where slowly becoming the norm. Although difficult to handle for novice pilots, (thousands of pilots died attempting to gain mastery), in the hands of a master pilot they were vastly superior. Today of course, with the aid of computers and 'fly-by-wire' technology, utterly unstable designs are the norm for military aircraft with an interceptor role.
A PICTURE PAGE
We have Mr Ed Whitaker to thank for loaning me his copy of 'The Pagent of the Century' published in the mid 1930s, acquired at a car boot sale. The reason for placing it here is simply because this is the only close up picture of Cody I have seen, seated at the controls of his machine. In those days aeroplanes were invariably called 'machines'.
AND THEN!
Just a couple of months later I found this picture of Cody seated in his huge, for those days, 'Cathedral' which I have scanned from The History of British Aviation 1908 to 1914 by R Dallas Brett which I had recently acquired.
Roger Moss
This comment was written on: 2020-06-09 23:25:33Fletcher was seconded to the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers on 29 December 1911 and to the RFC on 13 May 1912 and appointed Flying Officer. He gained his RAeC Aviators Certificate (No 229) on 4 June flying a Cody Biplane at Laffans Plain, along with his Airship (No. 10) and Aeronauts (No 24) Certificates on 2 July.
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
