Cecil Lewis Planes

[Ginger.]

Cecil Lewis was a pal of Arthur Rhys Davids, the passage he writes on hearing of the death of his friend is one of the most moving in the book.

[RAF56_Ball]

Originally Posted by Thomas Trauner

I finished "Sagittarius Rising" ...Can someone help to shed some light to it ?
...Thomas...

From memory, his first tour in France was indeed flying the Morane 'L' Parasol. He was at AD before that, and his OC and a friend there made sure he got lots of hours in the air, with special practice maneuvering so as to prepare him for combat.
You are correct in the SE-5 and Camels, as well. I believe that when he was back in England (at one of the training and testing squadrons?) is where he may have flown the Bristol MC.1 "Bullet". I think he also tested the Sopwith Triplane, but I would have to go back and check that onel.
IIRC, he did not fly the Morane 'N' Bullet, but pilots tend to fly a lot of things that do not get into their log books, so it is certainly possible he flew both.

[Bruno Stachel]

RAF 56BALL, I believe Cecil did fly the Sopwith Triplane. I'm almost certain he said (in Sagitarius Rising) that it was his favorite aircraft during the war, if not all time.

[Bruno Stachel]

He's actually quoted in the Aircraft section of this fine site.

According to Cecil Lewis, of "all machines, the Triplane remains in my memory as the best . . . Other machines were faster, stronger, had better climb or vision; but none was so friendly as the Tripe. . . It was so well balanced that it would fly hands off on the tail-trimmer, which other aircraft boasted they could do, but didn't. It could do more than this: set the engine at three-quarter throttle and wind the tail well back and the Tripe would loop indefinitely. I once did 21 loops in a row!" 1

1 Lewis, Cecil. Farewell to Wings. London: Temple Press Books, 1964

I'm certain he has similar comments in Sagitarius Rising.

[TomVrille]

Originally Posted by Bruno Stachel

... Lewis, Cecil. Farewell to Wings. London: Temple Press Books, 1964

I recommend this book, written half a century after the outbreak of World War I, and as Lewis puts it: "49 [years] since, as a gangling boy, I first stepped on the tyre of a Maurice Farman Longhorn, climbing up to the cockpit to become a pilot before I was 18."

In this book, Lewis reminisces about what it was like to fly 24 different aircraft of the Great War period, along with a review of the unique problems of formation flying at that time. Aircraft cover the gamut from the Longhorn to the Vickers Vimy, including even a captured Albatros.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hello Thomas Trauner:
56 Squadron made their first operational flight with a S.E.5a A'8923, on 8 June 1917. By July 56 Squadron was completely equipped with the S.E.5a.
Blue skies Thomas,
Dan-San

[bristol scout]

Originally Posted by TomVrille

I recommend this book, written half a century after the outbreak of World War I, and as Lewis puts it: "49 [years] since, as a gangling boy, I first stepped on the tyre of a Maurice Farman Longhorn, climbing up to the cockpit to become a pilot before I was 18."

In this book, Lewis reminisces about what it was like to fly 24 different aircraft of the Great War period, along with a review of the unique problems of formation flying at that time. Aircraft cover the gamut from the Longhorn to the Vickers Vimy, including even a captured Albatros.

'The Clouds Remember'---Oliver Stewart/Leonard Bridgmam (superb artworks) is in the very same same league as Farewell to Wings.

Dave.

[bristol scout]

Originally Posted by Dan_San_Abbott

Hello Thomas Trauner:
56 Squadron made their first operational flight with a S.E.5a A'8923, on 8 June 1917. By July 56 Squadron was completely equipped with the S.E.5a.
Blue skies Thomas,
Dan-San

Hi Dan-San,

I think you mean April my friend But I wonder if you can confirm the serial no. A'8923 as my (somewhat suspect records) show the date for the first O.P. as 22nd. April 1917 and the only serials I have are--(all 'A' prefixed)---

A4848, 4850, 4852, 4853, 4854, 4855, 4856, 4857, 4858, 4860, 4861, 4862, 4863, 4866, 4867, 4868,--- A8898, 88999, 8900, 8902, 8903, and so on---but no mention of A'8923.

My records show A'8923 as having a 200h.p. engine---but they were compiled a long time ago...

Just to help keep my records up to scratch Dan-San..

Yours,

Dave.

[alex_revell]

Dave,
First patrol 10.15am April 22 1917. A Flight: Ball leading in A4850; Knaggs (A4854); Maxwell (A4863);Barlow (A4858); Kay (A4866); Chaworth-Musters (A4860). A8923 makes it's first appearance in the Sqdn Record Book on June 7 1917, flown by Muspratt. It was returned to 1AD on June 20th. Reissued to the sqdn on 27 July as a re-engined 200HP machine. ie. as an SE5a. Lost on 10 August 1917. Pilot W A Fleming KIA. DSA is quite correct in saying the first patrol of 56 Sqdn using an SE5a, as distinct from an SE5, was on
June 8th. So you owe him an apology.
Glad to see you're back. All we need now is for Russ to be reinstated after a ridiculous, unfair and harsh ban of a month, while others got off scot free (no pun intended)
Yours
Alex

[bristol scout]

Thanks Alex, and you will know how much I (and a lot of the guy's here) agree wholeheartedly with your feelings regarding Russ---I personally found Romani's Glee grossly misplaced (off Topics).

Is that how we conduct ourselves----outright and open pleasure at someone being banned?

I hope not---but perhaps Romani is a class apart. I hope so.

Dan-San, I misunderstood your post my friend---put it down to old age and accept my sincere apologies.

Dave.