| Walsh Brothers Flying Boats | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Walsh Brothers type D flying boat | |
| Role | Flying boats |
| National origin | New Zealand |
| Manufacturer | Walsh Brothers |
The Walsh Brothers Flying Boats were aircraft that were used during World War I to provide training to pilots in New Zealand prior to their enlistment into the Royal Flying Corps.
Brothers Leo and Vivian Walsh built a Howard Wright biplane in 1910, named the Manurewa, and first successfully flew it in February 1911 at Glenora Park (modern-day Takanini). [1] In August 1911, the aircraft crashed but it was later rebuilt by the brothers and converted into an entirely new aircraft, with a streamlined nacelle positioned between the wings, which had a swept outer bay, while the canard was replaced by a conventional tailplane.[ citation needed ]
During 1914 the Walsh brothers constructed a two-seat flying boat similar to a Curtiss design. The war broke out in August 1914, and the Curtiss-based design was modified with dual controls to become a trainer and first flown on 1 January 1915. [1] By 14 March 1915, the sea planes had begun to fly their first passengers. [1] In mid-1915, the brothers founded the New Zealand Flying School to train men for the Royal Flying Corps. [1] The first class of three included the fighter ace, Keith Caldwell. Classes were always small but, in contrast to overseas training, comprehensive.[ citation needed ] The school began operating out of a shed in Ōrākei in October 1915, and by 28 November had moved to Mission Bay. [1] By 1916, the school operated from their permanent location at Kohimarama. [1] The flying school closed in September 1924, after training over 1,000 pilots. [1]
Due to the difficulties in obtaining suitable training aircraft, the Walsh brothers decided to build their own trainers, initially based on the Curtiss pattern. Over the next four years they produced a series of four flying boat designs, evolved from, but bearing little resemblance to, the original Curtiss model. The last of the Walsh Brothers designs, the Type D of 1919, was an aerodynamically and hydrodynamically advanced machine, with a powerful Beardmore engine.[ citation needed ]
The flying school struggled to gain clients after the war, and all assets of the flying school were acquired for the New Zealand Permanent Air Force (NZPAF) in 1924. All Walsh brothers flying boats had been made for the use of the school, not for sale, and were transferred to the NZPAF; however, the NZPAF had a landplane training programme based upon the Avro 504K and had no use for the flying boats. The survivors are believed to have been burnt on the Auckland waterfront, however there are "lost treasure" stories that these and some of the other machines used by the flying school are stored on a defence force base at Devonport in tunnels bricked up after the Second World War.[ citation needed ]
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zealand elements of the British Royal Air Force, becoming an independent force in 1923, although many RNZAF aircrew continued to serve in the Royal Air Force until the end of the 1940s.
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Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer originally founded in 1909 by Glenn Hammond Curtiss and Augustus Moore Herring in Hammondsport, New York. After significant commercial success in its first decades, it merged with the Wright Aeronautical in 1929 to form Curtiss-Wright Corporation.
Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg VC DFC, of Houhora, New Zealand, was a pilot in the RNZAF during World War II. He was a posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy for British and Commonwealth armed forces, and received the award for pressing home an attack on a German U-boat in August 1943. He was killed in the action. His award is unique, as it was awarded on evidence solely provided by the enemy, for an action in which there were no surviving Allied witnesses to corroborate his gallantry.
Tasman Empire Airways Limited (1940–1965), better known as TEAL, is the former name of Air New Zealand Limited (1965–).
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Compulsory military training (CMT), a form of conscription, was practised for males in New Zealand between 1909 and 1972. Prior to and after this period military training in New Zealand has been voluntary.
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The following lists events that happened during 1915 in New Zealand.
Air Commodore Keith Logan "Grid" Caldwell CBE, MC, DFC & Bar was a New Zealand fighter ace of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I who also rose to the rank of Air Commodore in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II.
The Curtiss Flying School was started by Glenn Curtiss to compete against the Wright Flying School of the Wright brothers. The first example was located in San Diego, California.
Vivian Claude Walsh (1888–1950) was a New Zealand engineer. Vivian and his English-born elder brother Leo Austin Walsh (1881–1951) were pioneers of New Zealand aviation. The Walsh brothers were sons of immigrants from Yorkshire to New Zealand.
The New Zealand Flying School was formed in 1915, by the Walsh Brothers, Leo and Vivian, to train pilots for the Royal Flying Corps. The school flew a fleet of home-built and imported flying boats from Mission Bay on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, near where a sculpture now stands to commemorate the Walsh brothers. Over 100 pilots trained at the school, most of them going on to serve in the First World War, including ace Keith Caldwell.
The Second Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 1957 to 1960. It was most notable for raising taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and petrol, a move which was probably responsible for the government lasting for only one term.
The Curtiss Models F made up a family of early flying boats developed in the United States in the years leading up to World War I. Widely produced, Model Fs saw service with the United States Navy under the designations C-2 through C-5, later reclassified to AB-2 through AB-5. Several examples were exported to Russia, and the type was built under license in Italy.
Mangere Aerodrome, named after a nearby suburb, was the original home of the Auckland Aero Club. It is now the site of Auckland Airport. Mangere Aerodrome's claim to fame was as the arrival point for New Zealand aviator, and aeroclub member, Jean Batten's solo flight from the United Kingdom in 1936. The RNZAF requisitioned the aerodrome from 1939 until 1944, renaming it RNZAF Station Mangere. In 1961, the Auckland Aero Club moved to Ardmore aerodrome and Mangere Aerodrome closed. The new Auckland Airport opened in 1965.
The history of aviation in New Zealand began in the late 19th century when balloon flights began. In the first decade of the 20th century, several New Zealanders began developing heavier-than-air craft with the first confirmed powered flight in New Zealand being made by Vivian Walsh in 1911. The First World War spurred the development of aviation in New Zealand. A flying school was established and several hundred New Zealanders went on to serve in British flying services in Europe.
David Hugh McCulloch was an early American aviator who worked with Glenn Curtiss from 1912. Curtiss was a contemporary and competitor to the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville, who had made the first flights at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Curtiss won the world's first air race at Reims in France in August 1909, and was now becoming the driving force in American aviation. McCulloch's early work with Curtiss consisted of demonstrating, training and selling Curtiss planes and participating in early developments of flight. He trained the First Yale Unit, and in two consecutive days in 1917, he and several of his pupils from the First Yale Unit made flights that convinced the Navy to bring aircraft aboard ships. Later, McCulloch was co-pilot with Holden C. Richardson and flight commander John Henry Towers of the NC-3, the leader of the three Navy flying boats making the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean.