LAKING No.l biplane (Guy Francis Laking, owner. Components built by T.W.K. Clarke of Kingston-on-Thames. Assembled by A. Fitch & Son, 610 Rosemary Rd., Clactonon-Sea, Essex)

   Guy Laking, the son of Sir Francis Laking, physician to King Edward VII, specified and financed the building of a biplane, largely made by T.W.K. Clarke and assembled by Fitch & Son, under the supervision of Frank Fitch. A shed was erected at Bockings Elm, Little Clacton for the trial flights. The machine was still in the course of manufacture in October 1909 when reported in the Press, but later, when it appeared for the first time, the owner was reported to have gone abroad and the trials were postponed indefinitely. Laking appeal's to have lost interest and passed responsibility for the machine to Frank Fitch. (See Fitch biplane)

   Power: Two 12hp JAP engines driving 5ft 8in diameter pusher propellers
   Data
   Span 33ft
   Chord 5ft 6in
   Gap 5ft
   Area 330 sq ft (Press reported 156 sq yd!)
   Weight allup 504lb


FITCH biplane (A. Fitch & Son, Motor Engineers, 610 Rosemary Rd., Clacton-on-Sea, Essex)

   The Laking No. 1 biplane, completed in 1909 largely by T.W.K. Clarke, was abandoned by its owner, Guy Laking, when the initial tests were unsuccessful and he went abroad. It was subsequently handed over to Frank Fitch, who reconstructed it with a single 40hp engine.
   The aeroplane, still identified as Laking No. 1, was taken to a field at Little Clacton on 10 June 1911 for final assembly and testing. It made its first flight on 4 July 1911 in the hands of Mr. Anthony Westlake, who himself had made a monoplane, in 1913 (q.v.). The circular flight covered about 300 yards at a height of 11ft at 20mph and the aircraft returned safely to near the original takeoff point. In the initial euphoria after this successful flight, the Press reported that a flight would take place to Colchester and a passenger could be carried, also a training school was to be established.
   The machine was very lightly built and was reported to weigh only 5 1/2 cwt with pilot ready for flight. The major change from the Laking machine was the installation of the single engine said to be 'specially designed' and possibly built by Anthony Westlake. It may also have been the 40hp Lascelles which was auctioned in October 1913 (see Westlake).
   The layout of the machine was basically as the original Laking No. 1 and was of a typical pusher biplane of the period, with front elevator and rear rudder on booms and presumably wing warping. The pilot, seated on the lower center section, rested his feet on the center of the axle, and controlled the machine by two levers.

   Power: 40hp with fuel injection pumps, driving a 7ft 8in diameter pusher propeller.
   Data
   Span 33ft
   Chord 5ft 6in
   Gap 5ft
   Area 330 sq ft (Press reported 165 sq yds!)
   Weight allup 616lb
   Fuel capacity 6 gal