Old Hong Kong-5 — Page 28

COLONY'S EARLY AVIATION

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"The three day's flying meeting which has been arranged to take place at Shatin by the Far East Aviation Company commences to-day. A more ideal place for an aviation meeting than Shatin could not easily be found, and it is just the place an aviator looks for. This week-end will probably see the first aeroplane flights, which have taken place in this part of the world, and the promoters are expecting large crowds to-day, to-morrow and Monday.

"The Far East Aviation Company, which has its headquarters in Hongkong with branch offices in Paris, London, Bangkok and Saigon, recently had a successful meeting in Bangkok and after their meeting here, Canton will be visited. The Company's chief object is the construction and sale of aeroplanes, aeroplane motors, balloons and airships and they represent a number of the best known builders of aeroplane types and aeroplane motors.

It is interesting to note the advent of this firm; the name of the Far East Aviation Company has a familiar sound to-day and we thus find what might be termed its origin some twenty-five years ago.

A flight took place but under adverse conditions. The Hongkong Daily Press of March 20, 1911, reports:-

"Keen disappointment was manifested by a large number of people who assembled at Shatin on Saturday afternoon (March 18) to witness the exhibition of flying promised by Mr. Van den Born. It was a beautiful day and high hopes were entertained of witnessing the latest of the arts of locomotion under the best of circumstances. There was some delay at the outset on account of the late arrival of His Excellency the Governor and when His Excellency did arrive it was found that the wind had risen too high to permit flying. The machine was taken out of its shed, however, and the working of the motor displayed but it was decided that it would be folly to attempt to rise in the teeth of a gale blowing about 30 miles an hour. The people hung around impatiently and most of them were glad when the 5.10 train started for home, for though the band on the Rajputs did its best to enliven matters, nothing would have induced the crowd to wait longer.

"As it happened the wind did die down and the few who remained had the opportunity of seeing Mr. Van den Born in the air. The machine rose within a comparatively short distance of its starting point to a height of ... circles and descended on exactly the spot from which it rose, thus proving the aviator's ability to fly (a question much debated during the afternoon by the disappointees) and his perfect control of the machine.

I am able to publish here an old photograph of Van den Born's machine. The picture is kindly loaned by Mr. V. M. Attendrigh, who was present at the time, being then a member of the firm who sponsored that first aviation exhibition in the Colony.

The photograph shows the plane at Shatin prior to its flight with a group of interested spectators. What a contrast with the machines we know to-day!