Gnosspelius No. 1
M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
Deleted by request of (c)Schiffer Publishing
GNOSSPELIUS hydro-monoplane No.l (Oscar Theodore Gnosspelius, Silver Holme, Windermere and Borwicks Boatyard, Bowness, Windermere)
Gnosspelius was of Swedish origin, but of English upbringing, and had been involved in civil engineering works abroad. His aviation interest stemmed from the time of the Blackpool Meeting in 1909.
His first machine was much like a Bleriot with a rectangular section open fuselage with pyramid pylon for bracing and warping cables. It was fitted originally with twin floats, with which it would not lift from the water. It was then refitted with a single float 14ft long and 4ft wide sprung by rubber rings.
The machine was under-powered and neither version of the hydroplane was successful when tested between August and November 1910.
Power: 20hp Alvaston two-cylinder horizontally opposed, water-cooled.
P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)
Gnosspelius Hydro-monoplane No. 1
The Gnosspelius Hydro-monoplane No. 1 was designed by Oscar T. Gnosspelius and constructed during 1910 by Borwick and Sons, Bowness-on-Windermere, Westmorland. It was a twin-float single-seat tractor monoplane on the lines of a Bleriot and was powered by a two-cylinder 20 h.p. Alvaston engine. The pair of catamaran hydroplane-type floats fitted originally proved to be too small, and the engine developed insufficient power for flight. A single Borwick-built hydroplane type of float, 14 ft. long and 4 ft. wide, replaced the inadequate pair, but still the machine would not take-off.