The band of #angardasiochana played a blinder yesterday as part of the #alcockandbrown100 ..the sun came out, the crowds were happy and the music was fab!!
Their altitude varied between sea level and 12,000 ft (3,700 m). They took off with 865 imperial gallons (3,900 L) of fuel. They had spent around fourteen-and-a-half hours[citation needed] over the North Atlantic crossing the coast at 4:28 p.m.,[18] having flown 1,890 miles (3,040 km) in 15 hours 57 minutes at an average speed of 115 mph (185 km/h; 100 knots).[19] Their first interview was given to Tom 'Cork' Kenny of The Connacht Tribune.
British aviators John Alcock( known as Jack ) and Arthur Brown made the first non-stop transatlantic flight in June 1919.[1] They flew a modified First World War Vickers Vimy[2]bomber from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Clifden, Connemara, County Galway, Ireland.[3] The Secretary of State for Air, Winston Churchill, presented them with the Daily Mail prize for the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by aeroplane in "less than 72 consecutive hours".[4] A small amount of mail was carried on the flight, making it the first transatlantic airmail flight. The two aviators were awarded the honour of Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) a week later by King George V at Windsor Castle.
My Dear Elsie
Just a hurried line before
I start. This letter will travel with
me in the official mail bag, the
first mail to be carried over the Atlantic
Just a hurried line before
I start. This letter will travel with
me in the official mail bag, the
first mail to be carried over the Atlantic
Love to all,
Your loving brother Jack
John Alcock was born in 1892 in Basford House on Seymour Grove, Firswood, Manchester, England. Known to his family and friends as "Jack", he first became interested in flying at the age of seventeen and gained his pilot's licence in November 1912. Alcock was a regular competitor in aircraft competitions at Hendon in 1913–14. He became a military pilot during the First World War and was taken prisoner in Turkey after the engines on his Handley Page bomber failed over the Gulf of Xeros.[5] After the war, Alcock wanted to continue his flying career and took up the challenge of attempting to be the first to fly directly across the Atlantic
He died in France in a flying accident in 1919
Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1886 to American parents, and shortly afterwards the family moved to Manchester. Known to his family and friends as "Teddie", he began his career in engineering before the outbreak of the First World War. Brown also became a prisoner of war, after being shot down over Germany. Once released and back in Britain, Brown continued to develop his aerial navigation skills.
The pair brought toy cat mascots with them for the flight – Alcock had 'Lucky Jim' while Brown had 'Twinkletoes'.[12][13]
It was not an easy flight. The overloaded aircraft had difficulty taking off the rough field and only barely missed the tops of the trees.[14][15] At 17:20 the wind-driven electrical generator failed, depriving them of radio contact, their intercom and heating.[15] An exhaust pipe burst shortly afterwards, causing a frightening noise which made conversation impossible without the failed intercom.[14][15]
At 5.00 p.m., they had to fly through thick fog.[14] This was serious because it prevented Brown from being able to navigate using his sextant.[14][15] Blind flying in fog or cloud should only be undertaken with gyroscopic instruments, which they did not have. Alcock twice lost control of the aircraft and nearly hit the sea after a spiral dive.[14][15] He also had to deal with a broken trim control that made the plane become very nose-heavy as fuel was consumed.[15]
At 12:15 a.m., Brown got a glimpse of the stars and could use his sextant, and found that they were on course.[14][15] Their electric heating suits had failed, making them very cold in the open cockpit.[14]
Then at 3:00am they flew into a large snowstorm.[14] They were drenched by rain, their instruments iced up, and the plane was in danger of icing and becoming unflyable.[14] The carburettors also iced up; it has been said that Brown had to climb out onto the wings to clear the engines, although he made no mention of that.[14][15]
They made landfall in County Galway, crash-landing[16] at 8:40 a.m. on 15 June 1919, not far from their intended landing place, after less than sixteen hours' flying time. The aircraft was damaged upon arrival because of an attempt to land on what appeared from the air to be a suitable green field, but which turned out to be Derrygilmlagh Bog, near Clifden in County Galway in Ireland, although neither of the airmen was hurt.[10][17] Brown said that if the weather had been good they could have pressed on to London.[15]
Their altitude varied between sea level and 12,000 ft (3,700 m). They took off with 865 imperial gallons (3,900 L) of fuel. They had spent around fourteen-and-a-half hours[citation needed] over the North Atlantic crossing the coast at 4:28 p.m.,[18] having flown 1,890 miles (3,040 km) in 15 hours 57 minutes at an average speed of 115 mph (185 km/h; 100 knots).[19] Their first interview was given to Tom 'Cork' Kenny of The Connacht Tribune.
Alcock and Brown were treated as heroes on the completion of their flight.[20] In addition to a share of the Daily Mail award of £10,000, Alcock received 2,000 guineas (£2,100) from the State Express Cigarette Company and £1,000 from Laurence R Philipps for being the first Briton to fly the Atlantic Ocean.[21] Both men were knighted a few days later by King George V.[22]
From Wikipedia
