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| Image: C DIEJ/2 - The Ling/Newington Monoplane, May 1910 |
The history of aviation goes back much farther than you may think. The Chinese are often credited with the first efforts to tame the skies with their use of kites more than 2,000 years ago. Over these last two-millennia various advances in flight have taken place from da-Vinci’s flying machines in the 15th Century to the hot air balloons of the Montgolfier brothers in 1783 and the Cayley Glider in 1849. The first accepted heavier than air flight however, which is flight achieved though aerodynamic lift, is the Wright Brothers in 1903.
Five short years later, with aviation still in its infancy, across the Atlantic in the town of Hull was Mr Ling, designing his very own aircraft in his workshop, the Ling Monoplane.
A brief mention of another Hull inventor who contributed to the local history of aviation is Thomas Walker. A painter by profession he published his work on mechanical flight, A Treatise Upon the Art of Flying in 1810. One of the earliest books of its kind. The aircraft he designed was an ornithopter in design, that is an aircraft that flies though flapping wings, imitating a bird.
Returning to Ling's aircraft, the fist mention of it comes in relation to an aviation event held at the Marine Gardens, Portobello, Edinburgh a large Amusement Park. The directors offered a £500 prize for the first flight across the Firth of Forth by a Briton in a British-built aircraft. The event was held in reaction to the recent fanfare around Louis Blériot’s flight across the English Channel.
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| Image: Marine Gardens, Edinburgh, 1914. Ref: NLS Maps: https://maps.nls.uk/ |
On 18 September 1909, The Strathearn Herald reported that several inventors had been in communication with the directors of the Gardens, but that only one, Mr Ling of Hull had given his intention to fly.
Edward Matthew Ling, was born in Hull in July 1886 to Miles and Elizabeth Ling. His father was a cork fender maker from Norfolk and his mother from Killingholme, Lincolnshire. By 1901, his father had passed away and his mother and he had taken up cork fender making to keep the family afloat.
In his teens he became interested in aeroplane model making, and he soon became apprenticed as a mechanical engineer. It is not clear when Ling started his full-scale construction as he kept it a secret, but he had
…given the science of aviation much study (HDM, 28 Sept 1909).
When a representative from the newspaper visited his workshop on Walton Street he described the aircraft as follows:
The structure was shaped very much like a canoe, with graceful curves. The bent wood ribs are of very light design…The Planes [wings] have been constructed on a light frame covered with aero cloth…The width where these planes are spread out is 32ft, and they can be so tilted that should the engine suddenly stop the aviator can “plane” or glide safely…the tail, light but of great strength, ready also to be fixed. At the end is to be fitted the rudder, of thin but unbendable maple, which will work on brass hinges. Weight has, of course, been avoided, a matter of ounces being considered serious…The machine is the result of no hastily-thought out plans… (HDM, 28 Sept 1909)The propellor is of aluminium and alloy (a Hull discovery) – so that it will bend without breaking…Aluminium has been used greatly in the construction. The planes, for example, are fitted into aluminium boxes. Mr Ling’s seat in the canoe-shaped central body, strengthened with light steel ribs, is water-tight to enable it to float. (HDM 28 Oct 1909)
At the time of the visit, Ling had left for Edinburgh to finalise the arrangements for his upcoming flight. He travelled the Fife coast by car to define the best landing places. It was decided that the best place for a landing would be east of Burntisland, which would entail a flight of around 9 miles from the gardens. Ling was that confident in his machine that instead of taking the train back after his landing he suggested that he may fly it back.
It was reported that he had already carried out a flight of 4 miles in his machine, and in an interview with The Scotsman in October he stated that he had conducted various experimental flights in the neighbourhood of Hull in strict secrecy, often at daybreak.
His planned flight was reported across the country, and he had intended to carry out a public trial flight in Hull so the people of the city could view the machine. However, his aircraft was still being adjusted and propped for the Forth flight and trouble with the ignition of the engine delayed his trip. In Edinburgh, a large area of the gardens had been levelled in preparation for his take off which was now planned for 23 October 1909. However, once again the engine was cause for delay. And the flight was postponed until the following Saturday.
The engine in question was of his own idea and built by another Hull local, Mr Thomas Leonard Bell, of St George’s Road, an engineer with the British Steam Trawling Company. It was a three-cylinder engine, that though light could produce 40 horsepower, easily enough to power the aircraft.
On 28 October his aircraft, the engine and Ling left Paragon Station separately. He was described as:
A smart-looking young man…dressed in a neat blue suit, his lack of words and general demeanour gave a mail representative the impression that here was a man who had determination to carry a difficult thing through. (HDM, 28 Oct 1909)
He arrived at Waverley Station in the early afternoon by which time his aircraft had been loaded onto a lorry and transferred to the Marine Gardens. The total cost of the aircraft up to this point was about £700, which was more than the winning prize.
The aircraft was placed inside the skating rink and admission to the public was charged at 1 shilling. It was described as:
…a marvel of ingenuity and delicate workmanship and embodies many novelties and patents. (The Scotsman, 29 Oct 1909)
Ling decided to patent much of his work on the aircraft and the engine as it was wholly designed by him and there was much interest and requests to inspect it including, it was reported, two German agents.
On the eve of his flight, he was described as sanguine having made many improvements to the design it weighed 500lbs including the 5ft 5”, 10 stone aviator. The engine troubles were in the past as it had run in Hull for several hours straight in a trial. Unfortunately, Ling had to delay the flight once again, despite the mechanics working through the night to get the aircraft assembled, engine fitted and flight ready there was not enough time, the engine had also been slightly damaged in transit and the carburettor left back in Hull. Great disappointment was had amongst the public but after another week the finishing touches were put to the aircraft, and it was ready for its first trial outing on 8 November.
The aircraft was brought out to the promenade and an attempt made to start the engine, however, a crack in the propellor socket and defect in one of the blades was spotted crucially before the engine fully turned over. A fresh wooden propellor was sent for and the aircraft once again dismantled.
Despite all this Ling remained optimistic and declared that he would not return to Hull without giving it a try. On 20 November 1909 it was reported in the Hull Daily Mail that Mr Ling:
…had a successful [test] flight of two miles and a quarter, and was quite satisfied with the behaviour of his monoplane…
Unfortunately, there is no other mention of the flight and the following week he returned to Hull with his aircraft with the intention of trying again at a later date. Between the end of November and May the following year nothing more is heard of either Ling or his monoplane. Why he left the project is not known but it could have been for financial reasons, given the fact that an employee brass finisher who worked for Ling and Bell went to court over his wages in June.
It appears that Bell and his brother William took over the lead on the monoplane which was now owned by the Newington Monoplane Company, a syndicate of Hull businessmen. Bell, it seems altered the design slightly, it now had slightly shorter wings and weighed an extra 100lbs with additional engine alterations.
On 10 May the aircraft was exhibited at Central Hall, Pryme Street for a few days whereupon the public could come and view it for a fee. Both the Hull Aero Club and Hull & East Riding Aero Clubs were in attendance.
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| Image: Exhibition invitation to the Hull made Aeroplane. Ref: C DIEJ/2 |
One month later and the aircraft was taken to land owned by George Vickerman at Sunk Island for trials. It was brought out and run briefly before the wheels were seriously damaged due to the state of the ground which had been grazed by horses all winter.
The aircraft remained onsite at Sunk Island in preparation for further trials. However, on 29 June 1910, there was a ghastly thunderstorm and their tent was blown away along with much of the companies supplies. The aircraft was then struck by lightning and described as:
…a complete wreck. The body of the machine was cut in two and the wheels and planes severed. (HDM, 30 Jul 1909)
The machine was brought back to Hull a few days later at which time one of the men involved stated that:
We have had very bad luck all the way through; the devil seems to have been in the thing.
This was made even more upsetting when the aircraft was set for a flight just a few days later. The machine was salvaged and rebuilt in some capacity and taken this time to Hedon Racecourse where Mr Oscar S. Penn a would-be pilot from Hull smashed the aircraft to pieces in attempting to fly it. Thus ended the story of the Ling/Newington monoplane. At least the first version of it!
Notes:
Bell’s Determination
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| Image: T. L. Bell, 1910. Ref: HDM, 10 May 1910, p.3 |
The engines were going splendidly and away went the machine, like a captive bird released from its cage. She went about a hundred yards, and was just leaving the earth when there commenced an ominous rattle, and the engine had to be stopped.
A crack in the cylinder casing ceased the project immediately. Bell was once again undeterred, his machine once airborne was projected to reach speeds of 60mph and would be the first steel aircraft constructed. He had planned to return but nothing more is known about the machine or Bell until the following year in July 1912 when he is mentioned as working on his third machine.
He passed away in 1924 aged 57. His son, also named Thomas clearly picked up the aero bug as he joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) in 1916.
Ling’s Future:
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| Image: E. M. Ling, 1909, Edinburgh Evening News, 30 Oct |
By 1911 Ling had married, moved to The Avenues and worked as a mechanical engineer for a motor works. In 1912 he saw an advert in The Daily Telegraph asking for volunteers to the new Royal Flying Corps (precursor to the RAF). He signed up at the recruiting office in Hull in July 1912, only a few months after the corps formed. He was the 171st person to join, with the majority of the previous candidates were transfers from the Royal Engineers Air Balloon Battalions, Ling was one of the first civilians.
He enlisted as a mechanic and he moved to the Central Flying School, Upavon, Wiltshire where he trained and carried out test flights with pilots over 1000ft in the air. He was posted to No. 2 Squadron in Montrose, Scotland, the first operational RFC base in the UK. There role was to help protect the Royal Navy.
In August 1914, the very start of the war, he embarked for Boulogne, France aboard the SS Dogra along with much of the squadron’s equipment. The squadron was equipped with BE2c’s and operated largely in reconnaissance and artillery support. His role, like many of the Air Mechanics was essential to ensuring dominance of the skies, without the aircraft being maintained the pilots could not do their job.
In November 1915 he returned home and was transferred to No. 6 Reserve Air Squadron based again at Montrose before being transferred to the Machine Gun School at Hythe, Kent in July 1916. Here he would have overseen personnel and maintenance where would be Observers learnt how to use and operate a machine gun from an aircraft. He was clearly doing well as he was promoted again to Temporary Sergeant Major in September. This was a senior administrative position, and a crucial link between the commissioned and non-commissioned officers.
In November 1917 he was posted back to South Farnborough at the Engine Repair Shops where he stayed working until March 1918, whereupon he was appointed as an Equipment Officer. This would have involved managing equipment, including aircraft components, armaments, and transport vehicles. When the RAF formed the following month with the amalgamation of the RFC and RNAS, Ling began work as a modifications and armament officer, helping to improve and develop all aspects of the aircraft.
By November 1919, post-war he had been posted to the RAF’s no. 2 Base Motor Transport Repair Depot where he maintained the motor transport vehicles, an essential logistical support component to the newly formed force. A year later he was a Flying Officer, based at No. 1 School of Technical Training at Halton, Buckinghamshire, where he taught recruits. He stayed in the service until 1924. He continued his work as a mechanical engineer and inventor until his death aged 79 in 1966.
