Cowes West
COWES WEST: Private/company seaplane slipways
Note: This photo of a Wight seaplane flying over the Samuel White & Co. Ltd, slipway and factory was published in The Aeroplane on the 20th November 1913.
Manufacturing: WW1: J S White & Co
Location: On the west bank of the River Medina
NOTES: In 2017 I came across another interesting mention regarding 'Cowes', in the excellent book British Aviation - The Pioneer Years by Harald Penrose, first published in 1967. He tells us that; "...a new Bristol hydroplane constructed for the Admiralty made several highly successful flights from the River Medina at Cowes. 'The machine was housed in the shed belonging to Mr.Sopwith about 1½ miles up the river,' reported Flight. 'It rises very quickly and flies very strongly. Mr Harry Busteed has been piloting the machine and expresses himself a being highly pleased with its behaviour'." This was in 1913.
Just a quick note. In those days the term 'shed' was applied to what we still call a hangar, a term adopted from the French during WW1.
It therefore appears that both J S White and Sopwith had aircraft assembly and/or manufacturing facilities on the River Medina. And indeed, it would now appear that the Sopwith facility preceeded the J S White concern. As can be seen in the two pictures of the Sopwith 'Bat-boat' flying from the River Medina.
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