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  • Short Summary

    Flight Lieutenant Kinkead's RAF 'wonderplane' fails to take off in his bid to beat the world air speed record.

  • Description

    Full titles read: "300 Miles an hour? - Bad luck mars first attempt of Flight Lt. Kinkead & R.A.F. wonder 'Plane to beat World record."

    Calshot, Hampshire.

    M/S of Flight Lieutenant Kinkead climbing into the cockpit of his plane, the Supermarine Napier S.5.; L/S of the plane being wheeled down a ramp into the sea. L/S of the plane picking up speed for takeoff, then slowing down - something is wrong!

    L/S of the plane being towed back towards the quay by a boat; Flight Lt Kinkead is seen climbing from the plane and onto the shoulders of a waiting rescue man, standing thigh-deep in the water. The man carries Kinkead on his shoulders to the quayside ramp (oh, the shame!), where he jumps down and walks off - it looks quite comical.

  • Tags

  • Data

    Film ID:
    720.06
    Media URN:
    33764
    Group:
    Pathe newsreels
    Archive:
    British Pathé
    Issue Date:
    12/03/1928
    Sound:
    Silent
    HD Format:
    Available on request
    Stock:
    Black & White
    Duration:
    00:01:49:00
    Time in/Out:
    01:06:37:00 / 01:08:26:00
    Canister:
    G 1484

Comments (1)

  1. Julian Lewis says

    This film was shot on Saturday, 10 March 1928. The following day, Flight Lieutenant Kinkead successfully flew the Supermarine-Napier seaplane N221 at an unofficial speed of 330mph, but he was killed on Monday, 12 March, during the official record attempt, when the plane dived almost vertically into the Solent.

    The story of Kink's adventurous life is summarised on this page of my website:
    http://www.julianlewis.net/books/racing-ace/3796:the-life-of-fl-lt-s-m-kink-kinkead-1897-1928-1998-03-12

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