Windermere Waterbird replica flies...

[treadigraph]

Spotted this on the Flypast site (good to see Peter Kynsey keeping himself busy! ;)) Registered as a Replica Avro Curtiss 1911, the build was started by Gerry Cooper...

https://www.waterbird.org.uk/waterbird-has-successfully-flown-as-a-seaplane/

https://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/20211253.waterbird-replica-takes-off-windermere/

https://www.waterbird.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Waterbird-high-res.jpeg

[India Four Two]

Lovely!

That picture immediately reminded me of one of my treasured books “All About Flying” by Gertrude Bacon.*

There is a chapter about early “hydro-aviation” in which she describes flying at Windermere and includes two aerial photos taken from the original Waterbird:


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/971x1634/f9d41c62_f841_492c_9e2d_bd952594e605_c48e369d6fd486cf0fecb61 77332fc2e51ea4409.jpeg

I’m not lending my copy to anyone, but luckily the book is available online as a PDF:

https://ia802209.us.archive.org/2/items/allaboutflying00bacouoft/allaboutflying00bacouoft_bw.pdf


* I have always felt that Flight’s Roger Bacon must have been inspired, as a young lad, by his favourite Aunt Gertrude!

She was a very adventurous, multi-talented women and a prolific author:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Bacon

[Jhieminga]

Some interesting statements in that book!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/828x262/screenshot_2022_06_28_at_14_34_42_2b9372588432c98fc43b5ae08d 7a1806597f83ff.png

[longer ron]

There is an interesting wee documentary still available on UKTV - filmed partly at Gerry's Vintage Skunkworks at Wickenby,Gerry was responsible for building and test hopping the replica (as a landplane).One of the Warbird Workshop Series.

https://uktvplay.uktv.co.uk/shows/warbird-workshop/watch-online/6249499726001

[India Four Two]

Thanks longer ron.

A wonderful documentary.