Henry G Melly Centenary Celebration Flight 7th Jul

[khardwk]

Henry G Melly Centenary Celebration Flight 7th July

One hundred years ago on the 7th of July 1911, Henry Greg Melly, one of the North West’s pioneer aviators made the first ever non-stop flight between Liverpool and Manchester. Though others had tried before, including Samuel F Cody, the first person to fly an aeroplane in Britain, Melly and his passenger A. Dukinfield Jones made the flight, “with perfect ease”, between Melly’s base at Waterloo Sands, just north of Liverpool city centre, to Trafford Park, Manchester in just 40 minutes. They returned non-stop to their Liverpool base later the same day in 63 minutes.

To celebrate the centenary of this epic flight, five light aircraft from the Liverpool Flying School - one Piper Cherokee and four Tomahawk aircraft - will fly in formation on Thursday 7th July over the position of Melly’s base at Waterloo Sands at approximately 11.00 hrs – the time Melly set out on his journey and then on to Trafford Park in Manchester. (It's likely the aircraft will leave LJLA at around 10.30h) The formation will be guided on its way by a group of flag-waving residents from Waterloo, local historians and children from a local school - Ursuline Primary School, Blundellsands. (It is likely the Mayor of Sefton, Councillor Paul Cummins, will also be in attendance), The location gathering point is on the grassed area at the sea end of Harbord Road and Sandheys Avenue, Waterloo, as near as can be identified to the position of Melly’s base, none of which now remains. After a few celebratory circuits at Waterloo, the formation will continue to Trafford Park, along a similar route and at around the same height (1,500 feet) as Melly flew.

At Trafford Park the aircraft will also make a few circuits over the location where Melly landed. This was at the then Trafford Park Golf Course. The guiding party will today be at a point approximately half way along Tenax Road and is expected to include descendents of the famous A and H. V. Roe aviation family, (later identified in aviation as Avro), who guided Melly, by waving white sheets – a very advanced navigation aid! – to his original landing spot.

The aircraft will return to Liverpool via Melly’s original route and will include, as Melly did, passing over the site of his family home, Riversley, at Mossley Hill, in south Liverpool and adjacent to the landmark Mossley Hill Church. In tribute to Melly, the Church will be flying the Union flag at full-mast from 09.00 to sunset on the 7th of July. After passing the Church, which was used by Melly as a navigation aid, the aircraft will continue to the river Mersey and up the river past the Liver Building and finally over Waterloo Sands, before continuing to land back at their base at Liverpool John Lennon Airport at around 12.00.

Each pilot in the five formation aircraft will carry a copy of Melly’s original flying licence.

It is particularly appropriate that the five celebratory aircraft flying on the 7th of July are from the present Liverpool Flying School. Present owner and Managing Director Martin Keen is delighted to be involved in organising the special celebration event, (he will be pilot of one of the formation aircraft), and carrying on a family tradition. His father, and founder of the present Liverpool Flying School over 50 years ago, the late Jim Keen, organised an event in 1970 called “Wings over Merseyside”, celebrating 60 years of flying on Merseyside and especially the early pioneering aviators, including Henry Melly. Henry’s wife and daughter were VIP guests at the 1970 event which involved over 70 aircraft flying along the Mersey and past Melly’s original Waterloo Base.

Flying in the five aircraft will be members of the Friends of Liverpool Airport (FoLA), and Susan Cain, representing the Henry Melly family, and a Great Niece of Henry.

Amazingly, two original Bleriot propellers used by Henry are still kept by the wider Melly family. One has been kindly loaned to the celebration fliers for 7th July 2011 and it is hoped to carry it in one of the formation aircraft. It could even be the propeller which Melly used to make his historic flight in 1911!


Further information will soon be available on the FoLA web site at: www.fola.org.uk

[clifftop]

Excellent. Informative and very interesting. Thanks for sharing that with us. Something to look forward to.

[thorpster]

That really is superb. Good on you all at Liverpool Flying School. Hope the weather is kind. I couldn't see "Liverpools number 1 flying school" (Merseyflight) doing anything like this! Sorry, couldn't resist. Hope all goes well. Good luck on Thursday.

[khardwk]

Don't forget the Henry Melly Centenary Celebration Flight tomorrow - Thursday 7th

Five aircraft from The Liverpool Flying School - Cherokee G-LFSG, and Tomahawks G-LFSA, -H, -M, -N, now expecting to be airborne from LJLA soon after 10.00.

Salute time at Waterloo Sands over the sea-end of Harbord Road, Waterloo, L 22 is 11.00: overhead Trafford Park - (Very appropriately) Centenary Drive around 11.30, returning to Liverpool via Mossley Hill Church - short salute around 12.00, then back to Waterloo Sands for overfly around 12.15 and then back to land at LJLA.

ALL WEATHER PERMITTING of course - Hoping it is kind to us and many thanks again to Martin Keen and Liverpool Flying School

[Hunter]

It looks rather wet, but the formation of aircraft is making a trial run setting off at 0845 local time they are using the callsign Melly fomation

[ghostrider]

Saw the five in formation over Knowsley Industrial Park looking like they were on there way back to the airport.

[Beemer]

Photos posted for and be-half of Viscount by Beemer.

[ian531]

Great shots Viscount

Can't wait for one of your in depth reports

ian

[Beemer]

Four more of Viscounts photos worth inclusion.

[Beemer]

Some great shots Viscount considering they are taken thru' perspex. Regards Beemer.

[clifftop]

Brilliant photos. Many thanks to all concerned.

[viscount]

You'll regret encouraging me, Ian531!! Thanks for the compliments. Digi-cards do make it reasonable to bash away at the shutter button knowing, by a law of averages, there will be some decent photos - very different from the days of negative film where every press of the shutter cost.

As many will know the celebrations today were initiated by the 'Friends of Liverpool Airport (FoLA), who in their magazine '09/27' have been recording a sequence of Merseyside Aviation Centenaries, thanks to activity by aviation pioneers, first Col. Cody then Henry Melly. In the latest '09/27' Keith Hardwick floated the idea to members the idea of a flight to celebrate a major NW aviation milestone, the first Liverpool to Manchester non-stop flight on 7th July 1911. Initial proposals centered around bringing a Manx2 or Eastern airliner to LJLA, although the cost of positioning would make to the final cost high. With only a handful of members showing interest, Keith consulted Martin Keen regarding using a single smaller aircraft, and the novel, innovative, quite exciting suggestion that the event could be marked by a formation of light aircraft was born.

The weather early on Thursday morning was far from ideal with a gusty wind and rapidly moving rain showers from the south. However as the FoLA members gathered at Liverpool Flying School's comfortable suite of rooms beside the GA apron, the five instructors were out sharpening their formation skills. After a briefing, at around 1020 we all walked out to the waiting five aircraft, Cherokee G-LFSG, and Tomahawks G-LFSA, G-LFSH, G-LFSM and G-LFSN all in smart matching blue and white with 'Liver Bird' logo. I was paired with pilot Mitch Walker in G-LFSM. The call-sign with ATC was "Melly Formation" - a neat touch. Each aircraft had a copy of Melly's 1910 Pilot's licence aboard. Also flying with us, providing a nice family link with the original event was a great-niece of Henry Melly, Susan Cain.

We departed 27, by my watch at 1041, in a stream departure, turning northwards up the river and formed into a diamond formation with one behind, led by the Cherokee 'SG, with 'SM to the right of the diamond, 'SA on the left and 'SN behind and 'SH chasing-up the rear. Out of controlled airspace at Seaforth VRP and a slight descent to make formation orbits of Waterloo, the site of George Melly's airfield. Although I did not pick them out, down on the fields were schoolchildren with placards spelling out 'Congratulations Mr Melly', local people and the Mayor of Sefton. A formation change to line astern for a final pass heading in the direction of Aintree.

Conditions in the air meant that the pilots had to work hard to keep formation, and the relative motion of the aircraft was both interesting to watch and presented great photographic angles - but you had to be quick or bits of our aircraft got in the way, especially as I was effectively on the wrong side of the aircraft and risked clipping the pilot with my telephoto lens. Over Waterloo my camera stopped and displayed slogan 'Camera has lost contact with the lens' (or similar). Quick grab for a cloth, dismantle the camera, clean the contacts, problem not solved, turn off, turn on - thank goodness I'm back in business. Just like the old days when the film cassette would finish at the most inconvenient moments!

At Aintree, back into controlled airspace and a direct line for Burtonwood VRP. I must say that the controllers at Liverpool were extremely helpful and able to accommodate our every request, although fortunately our airspace was fairly quiet. At Burtonwood entry to the low level corridor and contact with Barton, which we were permitted to overfly, en route to further formation orbits and a line-astern fly-by of the site where Melly had landed in 1911 - now part of the Trafford Park industrial estates. By this time the weather had deteriorated and we were on the edge of a large rain shower, as can be noted on the second batch of photos. However, we were fortunate and the light rain at the shower's fringe did not interfere with our plans. Again there were people gathered on the ground.

As course was set back for Liverpool Airport the weather brightened considerably and wind moderated. Having reached Burtonwood VRP, again ATC were able to grant our desired route direct to Mossley Hill Church, which was circled, just as Melly did in on his way home in 1911. Then up the river to further orbits of Melly's Waterloo landing ground, before return to LJLA and a further orbit, this time at ATC's direction, over Jaguar's, Halewood and Gateacre to allow an EasyJet and Ryanair to land ahead. I do wonder what the EasyJet pilot thought when informed by ATC that 'traffic' was five light aircraft in formation to the north!

Turning base the formation split to permit a stream landing. A little to the annoyance of Beemer & co who were waiting at the 27 mound hoping for a formation fly-by of the airport!. All down safely on the ground at 1228, for a de-brief, sandwiches and a toast to Melly, the Merseyside aviation pioneer whose activities our celebration were all about.

My very many thanks for everyone involved, Keith, Martin, the instructors, LFS and ATC for a very different flying experience. In a few days short of 50 years of passenger flying, never before had I the opportunity to take air-to-air photos, or flown in a formation. I'm still on high from the experience! I want to do it again!!

As a final aside, Melly's flight in his Bleriot took 45 minutes outbound and 63 minutes on the return leg, total time, 1 hour 48 minutes in his log book. Our flight, with a number of orbits, but no landing away, total time, 1 hour 47 minutes in my log book - a 100 years apart, yet such similar flight times!!

I would imagine that there are hundreds of people around Merseyside and Manchester, who looked up and wondered just what a formation of aircraft was doing. It appears we were ignored by TV, but should get newspaper and radio (Radio Merseyside's Jimmy McCracken) coverage. Forum members are amongst those 'in-the-know', and from the comments in earlier posts we were certainly widely seen.

[avro748]

Great story Brian and a very memorable day for you with some great photos. I saw you over Barton heading back towards Liverpool.

I see from your comments you have discovered Shauns approach to photography these days;

"Digi-cards do make it reasonable to bash away at the shutter button knowing, by a law of averages, there will be some decent photos"

Cheers

Shaun

[mictheslik]

What lovely photos.....thanks for posting. Wish I was up there to see it (had an appointment with some Mig 29s at YVL instead )

Would you mind sending me a 1680x1050 version of Sierra Golf over the cathedral for my desktop background?

.mic

[Deleted]

Excellent photo's! And what a Excellent write up too!