Saundersfoot
Note: This map only gives the position of Saundersfoot within the UK.
SAUNDERSFOOT: Possibly an early flying site?
NOTES: In August 2013 I watched an episode of ‘Coast’ in which they told the story of a flying contraption designed and built by a Mr William ‘Bill’ Frost. Frost had registered the design in 1894 and it was alleged to have flown in 1896. The design superficially looks like a cross between a balloon, glider and helicopter although it would only have had the flying properties of a balloon and therefore not steerable. The vestiges of wings on either side would have provided no lift and a centrally mounted horizontal propeller was powered by the pilot, so also provided virtually no lift either.
The presenter and/or script writer, who obviously could not differentiate between an aeroplane and a balloon, claimed it might have flown seven years before the Wright brothers. It is of course entirely possible that if enough gas could have been installed, this cumbersome and over-weight balloon might well have lifted-off. The programme claimed that hydrogen gas would have had to be the lifting agent, but many if not most balloon flights of that era used coal gas. Although not as efficient a lifting agent as hydrogen (or helium) coal gas was much, much cheaper and also generally available from towns with a gas works. Also, it might have been a hot-air balloon.
It was claimed that the ‘machine’ lifted off from a field overlooking the harbour in Saundersfoot, but a strong wind took it into nearby trees, wrecking it. The programme also implied that the flight probably didn’t take place because an account doesn’t appear in the local newspaper, so therefore they didn’t appreciate that many initial flight experiments took place in relative secrecy for obvious reasons.
AN INTERESTING CONCEPTION
What I think is really interesting, is that William Frost obviously understood the principals of the benefits of adding wings and a means of controlling vertical lift with a propeller, and I suppose – very broadly speaking of course, anticipated a design trend which eventually led to the Fairey Rotodyne, and more recently, the Bell-Boeing V.22 Osprey with its tilt-rotor.
We'd love to hear from you, so please scroll down to leave a comment!
Leave a comment ...
Copyright (c) UK Airfield Guide
