Gustav Hamel

Gustav Hamel (June 25, 1889 - missing May 23, 1914) was a pioneer British aviator.

Hamel was prominent in the early history of aviation in Britain, and in particular that of Hendon airfield, where Claude Graham-White was energetically developing and promoting flying. Gustav Hamel was educated at Westminster School and chose to learn to fly at the Blériot school at Pau, France in 1910 at the age of 21. His first flight of note was on 24 March 1911 when he flew from Hendon to Brooklands in a record 58 minutes.

In the exploit for which he is best remembered, Hamel flew a Blériot on Saturday 9 September 1911, covering the 21 miles between Hendon and Windsor in 10 minutes to deliver the first official airmail to the Postmaster General. Included was a postcard he had written en-route. The many thousands of items of mail included commemorative postcards which are today treasured by collectors.

27 July 1912 The "Hinkley Times" reported:

"Mr Gustav Hamel, the famous aviator, brought his aeroplane to the Outwoods and gave a demonstration of powered flight. This would have been the first time that most Hinckley people had witnessed a motorized aeroplane. The aeroplane flew over Burbage and Sketchley. Many people in Mount Road saw the plane as it flew low over their heads. A mishap at the conclusion of the flight made any further flying that day impossible." [ [http://www.hinckley-times.co.uk/htm/history/1910.htm Untitled Document ] ]

Carrying newspapers by aeroplane

An item in the magazine "Flight", August 26, 1911 covered Hamel's unsuccessful attempt to convey newspapers from Hendon to Southend the previous Saturday.It appears that the publisher sponsored this event as a publicity stunt. However, heavy weather forced the plane down at Hammersmith in West London.

Further reportage appears in the history of another airfield called 'Hendon' at Bradford, Yorkshire. He was the first to fly from there on Friday, August 1, 1913 [ [http://yorkshirepride.portland.co.uk/hedon/page1.shtml Yorkshire Pride ] ]

Late in 1913, looping the loop was perfected and became a popular event during the many public displays. On January 2 1914, Hamel took Miss Trehawke Davis aloft to experience a loop, and she thus became the first woman in the world to do so.

In March 1914 Hamel flew to Cardiff to give a public flying display. While there he met Charles Horace Watkins, who was an engineer perfecting his own aircraft called the Robin Gôch, or Red Robin. Contemporary newspaper reports indicate that a few minutes after they met, Hamel flew them both to Watkins' hangar, where they inspected the Robin Gôch. [Information supplied by Richard Davies, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Industry at the National Museums & Galleries of Wales. The museum has a Robin Gôch In storage.]

Disappearance

In these early days, flying was a dangerous endeavour; accidents and deaths were common. Hamel died before reaching the age of 30. He disappeared over the English Channel on 23 May 1914 while returning from Paris in a new 80hp Morane-Saulnier monoplane he had just collected. At this time of high international tension, there was speculation that he might have been the victim of sabotage, but no trace was ever found and the story faded with his memory. His contribution to flying, however, did not end entirely with his death: Posthumously published was a seminal co-authored book on flying. [Flying; some practical experiences Gustav Hamel and Charles C. Turner, London, New York [etc.] Longmans, Green and Co., 1914. xii, 341 p]

References

Additional links

* [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A05E6DF1F39E633A25752C2A9639C946596D6CF Gustav Hamel- New York Times "Atlantic Flight with H. L. Forster]