Hams Park
HAMS PARK: Temporary Landing Ground (Aka HAMS HALL)
Operated by: Gustav Hamel
Location: E of the A446, and M42, about 8nm NNE of Birmingham International Airport
Period of operation: 12th July 1911
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
We have Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for discovering this location.
The photo and the short article were published in The Aeroplane on the 20th July 1911.
Note: The area view is from my Google Earth © derived database.
NOTES: Gustav Hamel, who despite his Germanic sounding name was actually British, learnt to fly at the Blériot School at Pau in France. Blériot commented that he had never seen a pilot with such natural ability. He obtained his Aero-Club de France certificate No.358 on the 3rd February 1911, and his Royal Aero Club certificate No.64 on the 14th April 1911.
And yet here he is giving public exhibitions of flying, albiet just two circuits, in July 1911. He quickly became a 'super star' and it is said that a gang of what today we'd call groupies followed him around the country. Sadly, whilst just 24 years old, he vanished over the English Channel on the 23rd May 1914 when bringing back a new 80hp Morane-Saulnier from Villacoublay, south-west of Paris in France.
HAMS HALL also has another aviation connection. When test flying Spitfires for Vickers-Supermarine from CASTLE BROMWICH during WW2, when fogbound Alex Henshaw would use the columns of steam from Hams Hall power station, rising above the fog, to position himself for landing back at CASTLE BROMWICH. Hmmmm, rather him than me. But he of course really was a quite extraordinary pilot. I can most highly recommend his book, Sigh for a Merlin.
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