Barnstorming Acts/Flying Circuses

[mat777]

Hi everyone,

To cut a long story short, I am looking to get a vintage light haulage trailer signwritten for towing behind a road haulage traction engine to carry supplies, and being an aviation enthusiast I was was hoping to make it aircraft related.

My first thought was a turn of the century aeroplane builder, such as A.V.Roe & Co., or the Bristol Aeroplane Company, to look like a parts delivery trailer. Then I thought one better, and in the way that a lot of showman's steam engines haul travelling fairgrounds, I could do [mat777's real name]'s Fabulous Flying Circus or similar.

However, being a pedantic sod I would like to check beforehand if any period flying circuses or barnstormers ever had ground-based support vehicles, or did they carry all they needed in their aircraft?

Thanks,

Matt

[POBJOY]

The Cornwall Aviation Company was a typical 'Barnstorming' outfit that had its own ground transport.
It not only operated on its own at 'fields' around the country but also took part in the Cobham displays.

Its owner/pilot; one Capt P Phillips flew the Avro 504, and would provide both 'joy flights' plus aerobatic displays and wing walking.

Decades later the Tiger Club at Redhill operated a complete Air Show service with the backing of the famous Rollason Van. This mighty machine was also used as the flour bombing target at shows and was soundly 'thumped' by a low flying Turbulent that left it undercarriage embedded in its side !!!

[mat777]

thanks very much for the reply!

Would you happen to know if any photos exist of the flightless vehicles of the Cornwall Aviation company?

thanks,

Matt

[Warmtoast]

Mat777 - Cornwall Aviation Company.

FWIW a book about the Cornwall Aviation Company, author Ted Chapman, was published in 1979.

Second hand copies are listed on Amazon's UK site for £8.00 upwards. They may contain what you are looking for

[goldilocksk]

Have you tried Air-Britain's "Those Fabulous Flying Years" for an excellent account of Barnstorming and Flying Circuses.

Regards

Goldilocks

[mat777]

Thankyou for the recommendations guys - as a fan of vintage aviation I may well get both just for the fun of it!

[spekesoftly]

Watching "High Flyers: How Britain Took to the Air" on BBC4 earlier this evening, I noticed a scene of some ground support vehicles when the progamme featured a piece about Sir Alan Cobham's Flying Circus at minute 32:58. It's available on iPlayer until 4th June.

[PinkHarrier]

My father (1915 - 2006) wrote some memories in 1994 of life with Cobham's Flying Circus in the 1930s. Sadly, they are photgraphs of the original pages (from Australian Magazine Western Flyer). Hope they are some help: pinkharrier's photosets on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/63810556@N03/sets/)