Lonsdale Park
LONSDALE PARK: Temporary public flying site
Operated by: Mr George A Barnes in 1910, Maurice Ducrocq in 1911, Gustav Hamel in 1913
Note: To be fair these display pilots were not actually operating the site - the event being organised by others.
Location: Lonsdale Park in/near Workington
Period of operation: August 20th 1910, later in 1911 on August 20th, and finally it seems, on August 23rd 1913
NOTES: Succumbing to considerable pressure after many delays, in 1910 and in unsuitable flying conditions, Barnes elected to fly his Humber-Blériot monoplane, and crashed soon after taking off. The baying crowd were highly influential in this pilot deciding to fly against his better judgement. A typical situation still to be fully resolved even today! So many airline accidents today can be attributed to a combination of management/passenger pressure usually applied indirectly but nevertheless effectively - so that management cannot be blamed of course. Put crudely, the show must go on - regardless of conditions.
It’s worth mentioning that Ducrocq landed shortly after taking off at Mill Field during his trial flight with oiled up plugs. In fact on any given planned flight in those days it was common for pilots to land en route for ‘adjustments’ and repairs. His main ‘exhibition of flying’ was to take place on the 26th but was cancelled due to wet and windy weather - again a very common occurrence which still affects flying displays today of course - but to a much lesser extent.
It is also well worth mentioning that Gustav Hamel on the 23rd August, 1913, “Facing the wrath of 14,000 miners and workpeople, Hamel preferred the gale”. Throughout the day the weather worsened but the crowds exerted enormous pressure for Hamel to fly. It seems he succeeded and survived!
UK WEATHER
Without wanting in any way to get involved with the 'global warming' debate and what causes it. Except to mention that in recent milennia our planet warms and cools on a regular and cyclical basis, the weather patterns in the last seventy years throughout the UK have not changed at all - and in fact are remarkably constant.
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