Airspeed AS.6 Envoy II - G-AENA - Gabrielle

Airspeed AS.6 Envoy II - G-AENA Gabrielle'. Three of the crew of four are stood in front, prior to leaving on the England (Portsmouth) to South Africa (Johannesburg) for the Schlesinger Trophy in September / October 1936. Max H. Findlay bought a stock Cheetah-engined Envoy II, G-AENA, and had it fitted with special long-range tanks giving a total capacity, in addition to the standard 78-gallon tankage, of about 116 gallons of fuel. Named Gabrielle, and with (the superstitious were quick to notice) the racing number 13, the Envoy also carried Ken Waller as second pilot, A. H. Morgan as radio operator and C. D. Peachey as engineer. On 1 October, after landing at Abercorn, near Salisbury, Rhodesia there was a change of wind and the decision was made to take-off into wind, though the direction was uphill, rather than to delay departure for more favourable conditions. The Envoy, heavily loaded and operating from an aerodrome at about 6, 000 ft above sea level, failed to clear trees at the end of the take-off run. In the crash, Max Findlay (who was flying the aircraft on this final sector) and Morgan were killed

Airspeed Departure Envoy Gabrielle Schlesinger Sopwith

Features In These Collections

> Contributors > RAS