Plumpton racecourse
PLUMPTON RACECOURSE: Temporary Landing Ground
Operated by: Mr C Howard Pixton
Location: Just S of Plumpton Green, about 3.5nm SE of Burgess Hill town centre and roughly 7.5nm NNE of Brighton city centre
Period of operation: 6th May 1911
NOTES: Basically Howard Pixton whilst competing and flying an Avro Type D in the London (BROOKLANDS) to Brighton race got a bit lost, so decided to land here to get his bearings and extra fuel.
A MICHAEL T HOLDER GALLERY
We have Mike Holder, a great friend of this 'Guide', to thank for researching this singular event and providing the following:
SOME REPORTS OF THE EVENT
The short article was published in the Brighton Argus on the 6th May 1911. The article in Flight magazine was published on the 13th May 1911.
The second short article was published in the Guernsey Evening Press and Star on the 6th May, so clearly they were up to speed in those days.
THE AVRO TYPE D HOWARD PIXTON WAS FLYING
The diagram of the Avro Type D is from Avro aircraft since 1908 by A J Jackson. The photo in Flight magazine was published on the 13th May 1911.
A PHOTO AND THE SITE LOCATION ON GOOGLE
In fact, despite his compass not being accurate, he wasn't that far off course. Plus, in those days they had no idea how to adjust compasses when installed in aircraft. Not realising, for example, having a big lump of metal nearby, such as the engine, needs to be compensated for. Plus of course, in those days, even if they did know about these compass problems, they had no means of adjusting the compass.
EXCERPTS FROM: Avro - the history of an aircraft company, by Harry Holmes
Noted, reading this that Harry Holmes says that Howard Pixton attempted the Avro Type D in this race. He did of course complete the race, landing at SHOREHAM.
AND FINALLY
The local area and area views are from my Google Earth © derived database.
NOTES: I have to admit that when starting this project about a quarter of a century ago I had absolutely no idea about how rich and complex the history of our aviation history was - prior to WW1! And, although a lot of work has been done, with much help along the way, by late 2024, there are many other flying sites to be listed.
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