Flanders B2 at Hedon.
Over a three day period of 29th May 1914, 30th May 1914 and 2nd June 1914 a well publicised and organised flying exhibition was arranged to take place at Hedon racecourse by The Hull and East Riding Aero Club. Two visiting two-seater aeroplanes were booked to visit to offer passenger flights, these were a Bleriot mono-plane owned by Lt R.E.B.Hunt, of 3rd Shropshire Light Infantry and a Flanders bi-plane owned by Mr Richard Orr-Paterson. Rain on 29th May 1914 saw flying being limited. On 30th May 1914 the Bleriot was used to give some members of the public short passenger flights. Unfortunately the Flanders bi-plane had only recently had a new 70 H.P. Gnome engine fitted and during the first flight at Hedon it had some trouble. Work was carried out on the engine and the owner then gave the aeroplane a short test flight to test it. Unfortunately while landing at Hedon at around 18.30hrs the pilot misjudged his height and, while travelling at some speed, the undercarriage struck a mound of rough ground on the landing area which bent the wheels. The pilot managed to steer the aeroplane away from the crowd onto level ground. Flying did not take place on a Sunday so this gave time for the aeroplane to be repaired before Monday, 2nd June 1914 when it was then flown again.
This Flanders aeroplane must have been the one and only B2 two-seater ever built. The aeroplane's civilian history has never been properly recorded in modern times. I have yet to learn when Mr Orr-Paterson bought the aeroplane but of note is that Hull newspapers state that Mr Vivian Gaskell-Blackburn was present at this flying meeting at Hedon in May / June 1914. Gaskell-Blackburn must have bought the Flanders B2 off Orr-Paterson soon after this meeting as he owned it by the time he flew it at the Yorkshire Show at Bradford in July 1914. The Flanders B2 was then impressed by the RNAS in August 1914 when the First World War started, Gaskell-Blackburn enlisted for RNAS service and was allowed to fly his Flanders B2 until his commission was granted. The Flanders B2 then carried the military serial "918" and was used at RNAS Yarmouth.
Pilot - Mr Richard Orr-Paterson.
Richard Orr-Paterson was born on 17th April 1882 in Fife. After training at Brooklands he was awarded his flying certificate in May 1913. During the latter part of 1913 the Flanders B2 was flown at various flying displays at Brooklands with Mr Dukinfield-Jones flying it until he appears to have owned it.