Filey
Note: This map only gives a rough location within the UK. If anybody can provide a more exact position, this will be most welcome.
FILEY see also HUNMANBY
FILEY: Early flying ground or aerodrome, on a beach location.
(Aka FLAT CLIFFS, LOW CLIFFS, PRIMROSE VALLEY & possibly REIGHTON SANDS?)
Note: This was a most unusual situation for a flying 'Ground'. The hangar was on top of a cliff and aeroplanes were winched up and down a steep concrete slipway to the beach.
This first picture by V S Gaunt, of Tranmer's Blériot at the foot of the Low Cliffs slipway.
Location: On Filey Sands, S of Filey and roughly 6nm SE of Scarborough, 8nm NW of Bridlington
Flying School: 1911 to 1912: Blackburn Flying School
Period of operation: 1910 to 1912?
NOTES:
In the Spring 2011 edition of Prop-Swing magazine, Eric Littledike provides a fascinating and detailed history of this flying site - with pictures too!
To quote: "The potential for using the four mile stretch of broad flat sands at Flat Cliffs, Primrose Valley as an aerodrome was recognised in 1910 by a group of local sportsmen: one of them J W F Tranmer, obtained formal permission from Filey Urban District Council to erect a hangar and nearby bungalow for the use of early aviation experimenters. A twelve foot wide slipway was also constructed to faciltate the winching of aircraft down to the beach 60 yards below." Eric mentions that this slipway was blown up in WW2.
THE FIRST FLIGHT FROM FILEY SANDS
Again from Eric Littledike: "The first recorded flight from the sands at Filey was on 25th July 1910 by John William House of the Northern Aero Syndicate. Restricted by the limited runway space at Apperley Bridge, his Bradford flying site, Mr House moved his 25 hp Blériot monoplane to Filey to coincide with his honeymoon! Two weeks later he impressed his new wife by running into an obstacle at some speed on the beach causing the plane to overturn and smashing the right wing, pinning House underneath. He escaped unscathed, but was lucky since he was soaked in petrol and it took some time for the locals to extricate him from the wreckage."
ROBERT BLACKBURN
And again: "After watching displays by other early aviators, the young Robert Blackburn was sufficiently inspired to design and construct an aircraft of his own. His father reluctantly supported him by providing some funding and a small workshop in Leeds."
"This first aircraft, a tractor monoplane powered by a 35 hp Green engine with the pilot positioned behind the engine in a structure below the wing, was tested on the sands between Marsk and Saltburn but was a failure."
"Undeterred Robert returned to Leeds and began a second more conventional aircraft, similar in appearance to M. Levavasseur's Antoinette. It was described as a 'Light Type Monoplane'.....and was completed in July 1910. Eventually it was moved to Tranmer's hangar near Filey for testing, where it attracted the attention of Bentfield C Hucks."
B C HUCKS
According to official records B C Hucks flying a Blackburn Monoplane was granted his Pilot Certificate, (No:91), dated 30/5/11. This was Bentfield ‘Benny’ Hucks who it now appears “test flew” the Blackburn monoplane II ‘Mercury’ from Filey Sands on the 8th of March that year.
And soon after that same year he was giving aerobatic displays around the country! If these dates are correct then he was possibly the first example of an employed ‘test pilot’ working before he had officially passed his flying test?
Here again, Eric Littledike adds a very interesting item: "Blackburn allowed Benny Hucks to test the aircraft on 8th March 1911, even though he was not a certificated pilot." (My note: At least I seem to have got this correct). "Perhaps Huck's accumulated experience with Claude Graham [sic - Grahame] White at Hendon convinced Blackburn he could do the job. Sadly the machine crashed on its maiden flight after side slipping into the ground but fortunately Hucks escaped unhurt and the repaired aircraft went on to provide good service as part of the flying school Blackburn was to set up."
THE REAL STORY
In fact the real story about Hucks seems even more incredible. According to C C Turner, (and he should know), “He taught himself to fly on a Blackburn monoplane at Filey. Hucks was the first British aviator to “loop”, and was for a long time, without a doubt, the finest aviator in this country. He was one of the airmen who had been favoured with a Command to fly before the King. During his passing-out flights for a certificate his machine broke in the air! He had his share of accidents.”
In Eric Littledike's article he tells us: "Local legend also credits the first ever loop the loop to Hucks, (My note; in the UK of course), reputed to have taken place over Filey Station!"
A NIGHT FLIGHT
Eric Littledike also mentions that: "Hucks made many notable flights during this period with Blackburn, including a moonlight round trip to Bridlington, Scarborough and back at around 10 pm on the 10th July 1911, landing on the bach illuminated by bonfires while nursing a failing engine."
A SINGULAR MISHAP
This article was discovered by Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', and was published in the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette on the 8th April 1912.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
After finding the article above, later on in August 2022, Mike decided to have a proper investigation to see what else he could find. The results below are quite impressive to say the least. His skills in captioning maps and pictures are much appreciated, as, prior to this, I only had a rough idea about the location.
The Article One was published in the Driffield Times on the 30th July 1910. Photo One was published in Flight magazine on the27th May 1911.
Article Two was published in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer on the 10th May 1911. The short article was published in the Wells Journal on the 25th May 1911.
Photo Two was published in The Aeroplane on the 4th January 1912. Article Three in two parts was published in the Evening Mail on the 8th December 1911.
Article Four was published in the Darlington and Stockton Times, Ripon and Richmond Chronicle, on the 15th July 1911. Photo Three was published in The Aeroplane on the 20th June 1912.
Article Five was published in the Driffield Times on the 23rd December 1911.
THE FINAL DAYS AT FILEY
Clearly, from some of these articles, Robert Blackburn was struggling to keep things together. Local official support was not forthcoming so he upped sticks and moved away, having much more success when based in Leeds. Am tempted to say, "Are we surprised?" So far, we do not know if his brother Harold had any success in 1913?
Article Six was published in the Sheffield Evening Telegraph on the 4th April 1912. Article Seven was published in the Hull Daily News, a couple of days later, on the 6th April 1912. Article Eight was published in the Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer on the 2nd September 1912. The short article was published in Flight magazine on the 15th November 1913.
AND FINALLY
Photo Four was published in The Illustrated London News on the 11th January 1913.
A NOTE
You can find more details of this historic site on page 158 in Ron Smiths excellent book British Built Aircraft Vol.5.
The Blackburn Flying School moved south to HENDON (LONDON) in September 1912 but the manufacturing side went to the ‘Olympia Works’ in Leeds. (See seperate entries for LOFTHOUSE PARK and ROUNDHAY PARK in YORKSHIRE).
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER?
At one point early on in the research for this 'Guide' I made this note: It also seems that a seaplane station was under construction here for the Royal Naval Air Service from 1912 to 1913 but apparently not used? It appears that when the RFC, (Royal Flying Corps), was formed in 1912 (?), people ‘signing up’ had a choice of applying for the Army side or Naval side of military aviation.
A FORCED LANDING
From an article in the winter edition of Prop-Swing, the Journal of the Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society, tt appears that not that all of Harold Blackburn's (no relation incidentally) flights from Filey in 1913 were successful. "On one occasion valve trouble forced him to land on neighbouring Filey beach, the site of Robert Blackburn's earliest flight tests. According to family lore, a troop of Boy Scouts was enlisted to save the Type 1 from the incoming tide.
THE END OF AN ERA
Finally from Eric Littledike, he mentions that Harold Blackburn took over managing the school at FILEY after Robert Blackburn moved to Hendon, and the school here finally closed in mid 1913.
WHAT A COINCIDENCE!
In May 2016 my wife and I decided to visit the famous Highgate cemetary in north London, for the first time. Probably best known because Karl Marx is buried there. In return for the £4 entrance fee you are given a map of the site and a list of the more famous people with a number, so that you can track the site of their grave or memorial on the map.
Shortly after entering the cemetary my wife asked me if I had heard of Bentfield Hucks. I had of course but was astonished to find he was buried there.
But, here is the coincidence - after a lapse of probably several years since making a previous entry - I had been adding some details of Hucks' career into various listings the previous evening onto this web-site.
Hucks served in France during WW1 but was invalided home where he eventually became a test pilot for Airco, apparently flying from HENDON. Ironically perhaps, he died on the 7th of November 1918 from double pneumonia.
Lee Norgate
This comment was written on: 2016-10-15 22:42:58I discovered Blackburns original wooden hangar being used by a local Engineering firm near to Filey. In 2009 after negotiations with the firm , the Filey Bay Inititive (of which I was secretary) managed to save the hangar from demolition and destruction. The Hangar is now at the Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington near York, awaiting reconstruction. Blackburns original Chalet still exists as a Private Residence at Flat Cliffs. Two Private Residences stand on the site of the Hangar opposite.
Reply from Dick Flute:
Dear Lee, Many thanks indeed for this news. Incredible to think that something like this still exists. Those of us with a deep interest in aviation history owe a great debt to people such as yourself. My very best regards, Dick
Dave Newbury
This comment was written on: 2018-03-17 14:10:48Just one small correction. BC Hucks was born in Bentfield Essex and his name was taken from here. His full name was Bentield Charles Hucks, not Brentfield as stated above. I had not heard of Harold Blackburn taking over the Filey Flying School after Robert Blackburn went to Hendon. I suspect the story of BC Hucks looping over Filey Station is a myth as he went to Hendon in 1911 and the Blackburn Mercury planes he was flying at the time could not have been capable. There was a fatal crash in Filey in December 1911: the wings collapsed on a Blackburn Mercury when the pilot pulled up sharply after a dive. Hucks had a Bleriot in 1913, called Tornado, which he did stunts in. This was probably the machine that did it. The first loop-the-loop was on November 15th 1913 and he was awarded a gold medal by The London Aerodrome Hendon. Love the site!
Reply from Dick Flute:
Hi Dave, Many thanks, much appreciated. I shall amend the spelling. Best regards, Dick
Dave Newbury
This comment was written on: 2018-03-18 15:12:10A couple of facts regarding BC Hucks - He was the only pilot to receive a Royal Aero Club license, no 91, at Filey. This was in a Blackburn Mercury with a 50hp Isaacson engine.On the second run the engine failed and he crashed in front of the examiners but was still awarded the certificate. He is reputed to have invented the Hucks starter, a contraption for spinning the propeller using a chain drive off a truck engine. By the end of WW1 most airfields had at least one of these. For some years after all motorised aero engine starters were called Hucks starters (like vacuum cleaners are called Hoovers). There is one of these on, I believe, a Ford Model T chassis in the Shuttleworth Collection. I met Eric Littledyke in 2009: he approached Filey Bay Initiative and asked us how we were going to celebrate the centenary of the Filey Flying School. During the next couple of years we made got to know Tony House (grandson of John William House, the first person to fly from Filey Beach), Robert Blackburn (grandson of Robert Blackburn), Janey Rayne (daughter of Robert Blackburn) and many others. Filey now has a Royal Aviation Society bronze plaque to Robert Blackburn. One request - Does anyone know anything about the aero engine designer and manufacturer Rupert Isaacson? I have some details of where he came from before Filey but apart from one reference of mental health problems, nothing later. Thanks, Dave
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