After M.Pegoud's exhibition of upside-down flying in this country it was only to be expected that British aviators would emulate his daring feat.Indeed, on the same day that the little Frenchman was turning somersaults in the air at Brooklands Mr.Hamel was asking M.Bleriot for a machine similar to that used by Pegoud, so that he might demonstrate to airmen the stability of the aeroplane in almost all conceivable positions.
However, it was not the daring and skilful Hamel who had the honour of first following in Pegoud's footsteps, but another celebrated pilot, Mr.Hucks.
Mr.Hucks was an interested spectator at Brooklands when Pegoud flew there in September, and he felt that, given similar conditions, there was no reason why he should not repeat Pegoud's performance.He therefore talked the matter over with M.Bleriot, and began practising for his great ordeal.
His first feat was to hang upside-down in a chair supported by a beam in one of the sheds, so that he would gradually become accustomed to the novel position.For a time this was not at all easy.Have you ever tried to stand on your hands with your feet upwards for any length of time? To realize the difficulty of being head downwards, just do this, and get someone to hold your legs.The blood will, of course, "rush to the head", as we say, and the congestion of the blood-vessels in this part of the body will make you feel extremely dizzy.Such an occurrence would be fatal in an aeroplane nearly a mile high in the air at a time when one requires an especially clear brain to manipulate the various controls.
But, strange to say, the airman gradually became used to the "heels- over-head" position, and, feeling sure of himself, he determined to start on his perilous undertaking.No one with the exception of M.Bleriot and the mechanics were present at the Buc aerodrome, near Versailles, when Mr.Hucks had his monoplane brought out with the intention of looping the loop.
He quickly rose to a height of 1500 feet, and then, slowly dipping the nose of his machine, turned right over.For fully half a minute he flew underneath the monoplane, and then gradually brought it round to the normal position.
In the afternoon he continued his experiments, but this time at a height of nearly 3000 feet.At this altitude he was flying quite steadily, when suddenly he assumed a perpendicular position, and made a dive of about 600 feet.The horrified spectators thought that the gallant aviator had lost control of his machine and was dashing straight to Earth, but quickly he changed his direction and slowly planed upwards.Then almost as suddenly he turned a complete somersault.Righting the aeroplane, he rose in a succession of spiral flights to a height of between 3000 and 3500 feet, and then looped the loop twice in quick succession.
