MR. ROLLS'S CAREER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 834, 4 June 1910, Page 5

MR. ROLLS'S CAREER.

A Baron's Strenuous Son.The Hon. C. S. Rolls, M.A., F.E.G.S.. generally uses a "Wright biplane, though, as the appended notices show, he is occasionally reported as using a Short"Wrigbt machine {probably a modification of the Wright). "The Times," of March 7 says:— : An Accident. "The Hon. C. S. Dolls made a flight with his Short-Wright biplane at the Aero Club grounds, Shcppoy, on Saturday. AVhen ho was travelling against.the wind he appeared sometimes to be scarcely moving. In despite of occasional pitching and swaying tho machine was under full control. After several circuits of the ground had been made Mr. Rolls was (lying over thb adjoining country when the engine stopped suddenly. Mr. Rolls steered the machine clear of various obstructions, but it was travelling at a great speed with the wind the landing was made with some violence. T.be skids, wires, and underwork were broken and the rudder was damaged." On March 25 "The Times" stated:— "The Hon. C. S. Rolls, on a "Wright biplane, flew across country early j'esterday from Leyfdown to the Koyal Aero Club grounds at East, church. After making a short stay there ho continued his flight to Queenborough, over which ho passed "at a height of about 1000 ft. Skirting the village of Eastchurch, he then firoceeded to Harty and Leysdown vilages, awl eventually returned to Eastchurch, where he landed. This is stated to be tho longest straight-away crosscountry flight yet made in England, tho total distance covered being about US miles." Mr. Rolls subsequently made a longer flight—SO miles over the sea, including a non-stop flight of 3J miles. It is probable that the machine on which he has now crossed and re-crossed the Channel is English-made, for- he' was the possessor last year of the first English-made aeroplane. Early in May ho presented a "Wright aeroplane to tho Army School of Ballooning at Aldershot. Count Jaques dc Lesseps, the second aerial conqueror of the Channel, who flew in a Bleriot monoplane from Calais to Dover in thirty minutes, was prevented by wind from attempting the return flight from England to Franc*. "Nevertheless" (stated a , cablegram of May, 23) he has been awarded the Ruinart wrizo of ,£SOO, which was originally offered for an aeroplane oross-ChanneU trip and return. ! A Man of Many Parts. A footballer, a cyclist, a champion motorist, a certificated balloonist, and now a certificated aeroplanist, the Hon. Clias. S. Hoik, M.A., F.R.G.S., had crowded a large measure of performances into tho 32 summers of his existence. In hie ballooning days, a couple of years ago (before he had taken up the heavier-than-air branch of aerial navigation) it was written of him:— "The Hon. C. S. Rolls, third son of Baron Llangattock, is one of those leisured young mon who have chosen a useful hobby—aeronautics, as . well as motoring and engineering (in- which latter he graduated at Cambridge). He holds a third engineer's (marine) certificate, and is a certificated aeronaut. Three balloons- are owned by him, and ho has made over a hundred balloon ascsnts. In 1906 he won the French Aero Club's medal for the longest balloon Journey during that year, from Paris to Shernbourno, Norfolk. "He is equally well known in automobilism, which he pioneered in England in 1890, being then 19 years old. He drove a motor-car previous to the abolition of the 'red flag' regulation; since when he has several times established world's records for speed. Inter alia, he was awarded the gold medal for his performance in the 100(1 mile* trinl of 1000; reprosenhxl Great Britain in Hi<- .'Gordon Bennett race, 1905, as well as competing in other international motor races; and in 1900 broke the Monte Carlo-Txindon record."