Classic British Flight Sim

Mickey D wrote:I am distantly related to the true pioneer of powered flight Silas Makepeace Hepplethwaite of

Mankinholes nr. Todmorden. Silas was a sheep farmer but he firmly believed that man was destined

to fly like the birds so he scaled up a model of a Da Vinci flying machine from a packet of

cornflakes. It had twin contra-rotating props powered by meths burning Mamod steam engines. On

the 16th of December 1903, one whole day before the Wright brothers in Kittyhawk, with the help

of some friends he transported his flying machine to Stoodley Pike high on the moors. The

contraption was to be launched with catapult assistance and with Silas strapped into the old

rocking chair lashed to the machine and with the steam engines spinning the props at full revs

and the catapult creaking under the strain of 752 tightly wound

rubber bands he shouted " Pull" to his friends as the signal to remove the restraining pin.

As he shot over the edge of the valley two clay pigeon shooters having heard the word "pull" saw

the moving target and let him have all four barrels. Although wildly off the mark one stray lead

shot put out the wick on the port engine causing Silas and machine to go into an asymmetric spin

towards an enormous heap of poultry manure. He was heard to shout prophetically " Chuffin' sh*t" as

he and machine went through the outer crust into the steaming semi-liquid center of the heap.

After many weeks straws were drawn to decide who should extract his by now ripe remains from the

heap. He was cremated on a funeral pyre at Blackshaw Head several miles from the funeral party

who due to the smell assembled at Stoodley Pike on the opposite side of the Calder Valley.

It is said that when the wind moans around the obelisk of Stoodley Pike his last words can still

be heard.

Mickey D wrote:I am distantly related to the true pioneer of powered flight Silas Makepeace Hepplethwaite of

Mankinholes nr. Todmorden. Silas was a sheep farmer but he firmly believed that man was destined

to fly like the birds so he scaled up a model of a Da Vinci flying machine from a packet of

cornflakes. It had twin contra-rotating props powered by meths burning Mamod steam engines. On

the 16th of December 1903, one whole day before the Wright brothers in Kittyhawk, with the help

of some friends he transported his flying machine to Stoodley Pike high on the moors. The

contraption was to be launched with catapult assistance and with Silas strapped into the old

rocking chair lashed to the machine and with the steam engines spinning the props at full revs

and the catapult creaking under the strain of 752 tightly wound

rubber bands he shouted " Pull" to his friends as the signal to remove the restraining pin.

As he shot over the edge of the valley two clay pigeon shooters having heard the word "pull" saw

the moving target and let him have all four barrels. Although wildly off the mark one stray lead

shot put out the wick on the port engine causing Silas and machine to go into an asymmetric spin

towards an enormous heap of poultry manure. He was heard to shout prophetically " Chuffin' sh*t" as

he and machine went through the outer crust into the steaming semi-liquid center of the heap.

After many weeks straws were drawn to decide who should extract his by now ripe remains from the

heap. He was cremated on a funeral pyre at Blackshaw Head several miles from the funeral party

who due to the smell assembled at Stoodley Pike on the opposite side of the Calder Valley.

It is said that when the wind moans around the obelisk of Stoodley Pike his last words can still

be heard.