Roade
Note: This map only shows the position of Roade village within the UK.
ROADE: Temporary Landing Ground
Location: The small town of Roade is on the A508 about 5nm S of Northampton town centre
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
Mike Holder is a great friend of this 'Guide' and has conducted an in-depth study of this Air Race. For the full story please see my article: 'The London to Manchester Air Race 1910', which Mike has lavishly illustrated throughout.
NOTES: On his first attempt at the first London-Manchester flight on the 23rd of April 1910 Claude Grahame-White reached LICHFIELD (HADEMORE CROSSING) before his engine failed. On his second attempt on the 27th chasing the French pilot Louis Paulhan he landed at ROADE just before darkness fell - being about an hour and a half behind. They were both flying French Farman biplanes powered by French 50hp Gnome engines.
Grahame-White then elected to take off before dawn, the first attempt at cross-country night flying, and regarded as being nigh on a suicidal attempt by most at that time. He succeeded but didn’t have enough fuel to reach Manchester, needing to land somewhere, this time at POLESWORTH. The French pilot Paulhan won the race landing at DIDSBURY. In those days the French pilots really did ‘rule the roost’ taking on the 'vacuum' largely left by the Wright brothers who were largely consumed with legal battles; which were futile attemps to get patents on the ‘aeroplane’ or ‘aircraft’ as being wholly their design.
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