Bristol Type T No.54 at Spofforth.
The 1911 Daily Mail Circuit of Britain begun on 22nd July 1911 and flew a course around Britain, beginning at Brooklands. From Brooklands the aeroplanes were to land at Hendon. Two days later on 24th July 1911 they headed north with Harrogate Stray being the next official landing stop but only a few of the thirty who entered would make it this far. The aeroplanes then were to head as far north as Stirling before heading back south down the western side of England eventually to Bristol, Salisbury and Brighton to finish at Brooklands. Only two pilots completed the course all the way to Bristol with two others making it to Brighton. Four of the aeroplanes force landed and were damaged in Yorkshire on their flights towards or at Harrogate on 24th, one suffered repairable mechanical damage twice over Yorkshire and another was damaged taking off from Harrogate on 25th August 1911. The eventual winner of the race made a precautionary landing near Settle on the flight south on 25th August 1911 but was undamaged and took off a short time later.
This Bristol aircraft took off from Hendon at 04.10hrs on 24th July 1911 and flew to Melton Mowbray to refuel in around two hours. Some fuel was put in the tanks and it took off again soon after. The pilot reached the Wetherby area and headed towards Harrogate but by the time it reached Spofforth the engine began to run intermittantly with fuel running low. The pilot flew low to shout down to people at Spofforth to ask for directions for Harrogate Stray, he also saw Spofforth cricket pitch and was about to land but then climbed away to attempt to fly to Harrogate but this caused the engine to be starved of fuel and the engine cut out. He turned around and tried to return to Spofforth cricket ground but unfortunately it stalled just before landing and crashed at 07.55hrs. The pilot sustained injuries to his leg, hand and back. The damage would see this pilot forced to retire from the race. The location appears to be on or very close to what is still Spofforth Cricket Club, the photograph shown below appears to show two former railway bridges that would be in the right location when viewed from the cricket field. Rudding Park is the location given in Brian Catchpole's "Balloons to Buccaneers" book but I don't believe that is correct, firstly there are the two railway bridges and quite probably the railway station house visible in the photograph and they are not at Rudding Park. In Stella Pixton's biography of her father she states the crash was at Spofforth.
Pilot - Cecil Howard Pixton.
The damaged Bristol aeroplane at Spofforth.
Charles Pixton was born in December 1885. He was awarded his Aero Club Aviators' Certificate in 1910 at Brooklands and would win the Schneider Trophy in 1914.
He died on the Isle of Man in February 1972. I would suggest anyone with an interest in this aviation pioneer read his daughter's biography of her father.
