Handley Page Type E "Yellow Peril" at Leconfield.

On 29th June 1913 this Handley Page Type E mono-plane was flown from a site at Lincoln to a field that was used as an aerodrome in the Endike area of Hull in preparation for a planned and advertised flying demonstration that was due to take place there as part of a wider flying tour. The pilot, Ronald Whitehouse, was also based at Hendon and appears to have been the aeroplane's regular pilot for this tour of the North. After being in the East Riding of Yorkshire for a period of time to give exhibition flying it was then planned to head north to Scotland. The Hull and East Riding Aero Club were instrumental for many of the early flying exhibitions in Hull around this era but this particular event appears to have been promoted by a national company, the Scientific Aviation Company (Limited) of St.Albans. The event begun on Thursday, 10th July 1913 and was due to run until Sunday, 13th July 1913. On Saturday, 12th July 1913 the aeroplane crashed into the Beverley and Barmston Drain close to the flying field on Endike Lane. repairs were made on site and a flight was made the following day. After the Hull flying meeting this aeroplane and it's promoters moved to a site near Leconfield where a similar exhibition of flying was planned for 16th July 1913. The flight from Endike Lane to a field near Leconfield was begun at 21.00hrs on 15th July 1913 and it reached Leconfield without incident. The manager of the Scientific Aviation Company (Limited), Mr Harold Miskin, was subsequently stopped by police and convicted of driving dangerously at Molescroft on this evening. He was trying to beat the aeroplane to the landing field at Leconfield but was seen by police to be driving at dangerous speeds of up to thirty miles per hour with large crowds present on the road and was subsequently fined three pounds.

On 16th July 1913 a flying exhibition was carried out at Leconfield but exactly where this was done I have not discovered. Unfortunately no flying took place in the afternoon because of a strong breeze. By 18.00hrs the wind had eased, the aeroplane took off, circled the field and headed off toward Scorborough. The aeroplane was seen to fly around the church spire and then head towards South Dalton but was then lost to sight behind trees. After the aeroplane was then not seen in the air for some minutes it was assumed to have landed so a road party of mechanics set out to locate where it had landed. The mechanics located it in a field near South Dalton, the pilot later stated he had lost he barings so had landed. After around an hour on the ground the aeroplane re-appeared, it was flying smoothly but then landed too fast at Leconfield. The pilot realised the speed the aeroplane was travelling was too fast to be able to avoid running into the boundary hedge, to avoid this collision he turned the aeroplane sharply but this caused one wheel to buckle and another to be badly damaged. Wires that made the aeroplane structure taught were also loosened. A swift repair was made and around an hour later the aeroplane flew again much to the delight of the crowd.

Pilot - Mr Evelyn Ronald Whitehouse.

The flying exhibition was also advertised to take place during Driffield Show between 17th July 1913 and 20th July 1913 but I have found no evidence as yet to suggest this actually went ahead. An advertisment in the local newspaper hinted that no suitable flying ground could be located so it was postponded.