EMPRESS monoplanes Nos.l and 2 (Empress Engineering Co., 180 Stockport Rd., Manchester. Proprietor Charles A. Fletcher)

   The first of Fletcher's monoplanes was built in 1909 and tested on 20 October 1909 at Heaton Park, after attempts to start the engine failed, a week earlier. Several runs were made during which the machine lifted off the ground for 20-30 yards, before damage to the wheels and one of the wings occurred. The machine then appears to have been abandoned, although it was shown at the Manchester Aero Club Show at White City in early March 1910.
   The second monoplane was reported to be larger and was to be tested on 17 January 1910.
   However, before Fletcher could take his seat, the machine was blown twenty feet into the air and finished up severely damaged in a clump of trees. Fletcher claimed to have flown 75-100 yards on previous trials, but this was the last reported appearance of this monoplane
   The first aircraft was a parasol monoplane and was a mixed structure of steel tube and bamboo with the pilot seated in a wicker chair. The propeller was made of steel tube laced across with wire and covered with canvas. There are no details of the second monoplane except that the same engine was probably used.
   The power was supplied by a five-cylinder Empress engine, which Fletcher also designed. It was rated at 50hp and was an air-cooled rotary, which apparently infringed Gnome patents and later became the subject of a court case.

   Data
   Span 34ft
   Length 30ft
   Propeller 6ft
   Area 345 sq ft (*320 sq ft)
   Weight 365 lb (*330 sq ft)
   * alternative figures