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In 1908, "Colonel Cody" made Britain's first powered air flight in a plane designed for the British Army.
After the Wright Brothers made the world’s first successful powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they spent years trying to get the US government to believe in their project. At one point, they became so frustrated that they began to shop their airplane to foreign countries, including the United Kingdom. Although the UK was definitely interested in the project, they decided to try and produce an airplane of their own. They assigned the project to Samuel Franklin Cody. Samuel Franklin Cody “Colonel Cody”Samuel Franklin Cody (or Cowdery) was born in the USA in 1867 but immigrated to England in the early 1890s. Soon after the turn of the century, he was hired by the British Military as Chief Kiting Instructor. In this position, Cody experimented with various forms of man-carrying powered kites. In 1909, Cody was given the assignment to produce an airplane capable of carrying two people and a machine gun. BAA No. 1In order to fulfill this task, Cody designed and built British Army Aeroplane (BAA) No. 1. With a 52-foot wingspan, the plane dwarfed the tiny Flyer used by the Wright Brothers some five years before. On September 19, 1909 the BAA No. 1 made its first appearance outdoors in Farnborough. Over the next couple of days, the plane made a number of ‘hops’ of less than 100 yards. The First British FlightWith a brief interruption for other work, Cody resumed his flight tests in mid-October. Then on October 16th in BAA No. 1 , Cody made a run along the ground for 60 yards before taking off. He reached an altitude of 30 feet or more, passing over trees, and flying for a quarter of a mile. However, the wind started to take control of the plane. Cody spent the next several minutes fighting the wind and dodging trees before finally crashing into the ground. The plane was wrecked but Cody was fine and the test had been a success. The Career of Colonel CodyDespite BAA No. 1’s success, the government decided to cancel the program. However, Cody continued to design new airplanes and make successful tests. In 1911 he made the first English flight to carry two passengers. Over the next couple of years, he won several British air-races and became a British hero. In 1913, while preparing for a race, Colonel Cody’s plane broke up in the air and he was killed. He was given a full military funeral even though he was a civilian. Source: October 16, 1908: Britain’s First Powered Flight by Philip Jarrett for Aeroplane Magazine, November 2008.
The copyright of the article Samuel Franklin Cody in Edwardian History is owned by Joseph Allen McCullough. Permission to republish Samuel Franklin Cody in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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