Griffith Brewer (23 July 1867 – 1 March 1948) [1] was an English balloonist, aviator and patent agent. He was also a founding member of the Royal Aero Club. He became a friend of the Wright Brothers, and was one of their main supporters. [2]
On 8 October 1908 at Camp d'Auvours, France, 11 kilometers east of Le Mans, Griffith flew as a passenger with Wilbur Wright. The flight lasted for 4 minutes and 22 seconds. In doing so, he became the first Englishman to go up in an aeroplane. [3] [4] [1] [2] Prior to this, Griffith had been a doubter about the chances of heavier-than-air machines being at all successful for flying. [4] The Wrights also had many other doubters in Europe before those demonstrations in France. But after this flight in 1908, and the demonstrations by them, he became a close friend and supporter of the Wright brothers and made many trips to the United States to visit them. Griffith gained his pilot licence in 1914. [2]
He arranged that the British government should get use of the Wright's patents for £15,000 in 1914. This meant that British aircraft manufacturers were free of the threat of litigation. [5]
Griffith was President of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) from 1940 to 1942. [6] [2]
Notes
- ^ a b Penrose 1967, p.575
- ^ a b c d "Grace's Guide To British Industrial History: Biographies: Griffith Brewer." Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ "U.S Centennial of Flight Commission: Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Chronology".Flight Log 1908 Camp d'Auvours, Le Mans, France.Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ a b Dr. Richard Stimson. "Wright Contemporaries: Griffith Brewer A Friend Of The Wrights".Retrieved 24 July 2018
- ^ "Back to the Beginning" Flight 28 October 1948 p507
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%201596.html [ dead link]
References
- Penrose, Harald British Aviation: The Pioneer Years. London, Putnam, 1967.
- Brewer, Griffith (3 September 1910). "With the Wrights in America". Flight: 706–708. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
External links
- "Comfort and Confidence on Liberators" a 1941 Flight article by Brewer on his transatlantic flight
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
 | This biographical article related to aviation is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Griffith Brewer (23 July 1867 – 1 March 1948) [1] was an English balloonist, aviator and patent agent. He was also a founding member of the Royal Aero Club. He became a friend of the Wright Brothers, and was one of their main supporters. [2]
On 8 October 1908 at Camp d'Auvours, France, 11 kilometers east of Le Mans, Griffith flew as a passenger with Wilbur Wright. The flight lasted for 4 minutes and 22 seconds. In doing so, he became the first Englishman to go up in an aeroplane. [3] [4] [1] [2] Prior to this, Griffith had been a doubter about the chances of heavier-than-air machines being at all successful for flying. [4] The Wrights also had many other doubters in Europe before those demonstrations in France. But after this flight in 1908, and the demonstrations by them, he became a close friend and supporter of the Wright brothers and made many trips to the United States to visit them. Griffith gained his pilot licence in 1914. [2]
He arranged that the British government should get use of the Wright's patents for £15,000 in 1914. This meant that British aircraft manufacturers were free of the threat of litigation. [5]
Griffith was President of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) from 1940 to 1942. [6] [2]
Notes
- ^ a b Penrose 1967, p.575
- ^ a b c d "Grace's Guide To British Industrial History: Biographies: Griffith Brewer." Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ "U.S Centennial of Flight Commission: Wilbur & Orville Wright: A Chronology".Flight Log 1908 Camp d'Auvours, Le Mans, France.Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ a b Dr. Richard Stimson. "Wright Contemporaries: Griffith Brewer A Friend Of The Wrights".Retrieved 24 July 2018
- ^ "Back to the Beginning" Flight 28 October 1948 p507
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1941/1941%20-%201596.html [ dead link]
References
- Penrose, Harald British Aviation: The Pioneer Years. London, Putnam, 1967.
- Brewer, Griffith (3 September 1910). "With the Wrights in America". Flight: 706–708. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
External links
- "Comfort and Confidence on Liberators" a 1941 Flight article by Brewer on his transatlantic flight
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
|
| This biographical article related to aviation is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |