BIGGLES
FLIES TO WORK
Some unusual
cases of Biggles and his Air Police
by Captain W.
E. Johns
4. THE
TWO BRIGHT BOYS (Pages
69 – 84)
This story was originally published in the DAILY MAIL BOYS ANNUAL (1959) by Associated Newspapers Ltd and ran from
pages 53 to 61 in that book. I have
pointed out the one difference that I found between the original version and
the version in Biggles Flies to Work.
“Not all the time of the Air Police was
spent in the pursuit of criminals. There
was much routine work to be done; for example, keeping a check on privately
owned aircraft to ensure that they were not used for improper purposes and
watching that such machines returning from the Continent landed at an official
Customs airport. This was all part and
parcel of the day’s work with seldom anything to show for it. There were also complaints of low flying, to
be investigated. These were usually
settled without any fuss, but there was one case that was not without a
humorous aspect, although to be sure, as so often happens, comedy was walking
uncomfortably close to tragedy. The
affair began with a complaint from a small air line operating company working
between the North of England and London.
One of their pilots had reported that over a certain area in
Hertfordshire (Johns was born and brought up in Hertfordshire so he knew the
County very well) he had been “buzzed” by a small aircraft of unknown
type. This confirmed the statement of
another pilot who had noted on his Flight Report that, near the same place, he
had seen a very small, red, high-wing monoplane of the “pusher” type behaving
in a suspicious manner. He described the
plane as “a horror on wings”. These
reports, following closely on a protest about dangerous flying from the parson
of a Hertfordshire village, who stated that a small red aeroplane had missed
hitting his church spire by inches, resulted in Biggles being sent along to
investigate”. Biggles and Ginger and
then Algy and Bertie had taken turns flying the police Auster over the area but
had seen nothing. Then, at last, one
morning Ginger spots the aircraft. “Biggles
started, staring through the windscreen”.
“What the devil …!” (in the original
publication in the DAILY MAIL BOYS ANNUAL this was
expressed as “What the deuce …!” I doubt
that the word “deuce” was changed to “devil” for the book publication. I must have been the other way around. Johns wrote “devil” and the editors of the boys annual changed it to “deuce”. When the story was collected for this book,
Johns merely used his original text.) “The aircraft, a tiny red-painted
high-wing monoplane, with a propeller behind and an undercarriage that looked
like a perambulator, was cutting straight across their course. Biggles is able to turn out of the way in
time. Ginger says “That fellow’s a
menace. He must think he owns the
sky”. They follow the aircraft to a
country mansion where the landing ground is a park of some size. The red machine lands, as does Biggles. The pilot of the red machine jumps out and is
joined by a companion. Both were boys of
about sixteen. Ginger smiles when he
sees painted on the side of the red machine the name. Skylark. Biggles asks if the pilot saw them and he
asks them what they think they are doing.
“We’re designing an air flivver,” was the enthusiastic reply. The boys introduce themselves as Tony Hankin
and Cliff Clemson. They go on to say “We
reckon it’s about time a plane at a price within reach of everyone was put on
the market. That’s why we call our
machine a flivver. That’s what Henry
Ford, the man who made the motoring for the million, called his first car. It was the price that made motoring
popular”. Biggles smiled sadly. “Did no one every tell you that Mr. Ford also
made an air flivver for the million, and why you don’t see it flying?” “No”.
“The plane took off and was never seen again. It must have fallen in the sea. Whereupon, Mr. Ford, realizing that if an
expert pilot could lose his life in his air flivver he
was likely to be responsible for thousands of deaths, ordered his men to smash
every flivver that had been built. And
that was that”. (This is effectively
true. The Ford Flivver was a
single-seat aircraft introduced by Henry Ford as the "Model T of the
Air”. The single-seat aircraft was
designed with Mr. Ford's instructions that it "fit in his
office". The first example was
displayed at the 1926 Ford National Reliability Air Tour and the press and
public flocked to see "Ford's Flying Car". Ford unveiled
the Flivver on his 63rd birthday, 30th July 1926. Ford's chief test
pilot was Harry J Brooks, a young employee who had become a favourite of Ford. In an attempt
to draw on his popularity, Charles Lindbergh was invited to fly the Flivver on
a visit to Ford field on 11th August 1927, and was the only other
pilot to fly the Flivver prototypes. He
later described the Flivver as "one of the worst aircraft he ever
flew". On 25th February
1928, Brooks took off and circled out over the Atlantic where his motor quit
and he went down off Melbourne, Florida.
The wreckage of the Ford Flivver washed up, but the pilot was never
found. After the fatal crash of the prototype production plans were halted). Tony says “The machine must have been
structurally unsound. There’s nothing
wrong with ours. We’re still alive,
aren’t we?” “For the moment, yes”
replies Biggles. Biggles asks where they
get the money for everything as the barn interior is a well fitted out workshop
and he also asks “What does your father think about it?” Tony explains that his father and Cliff’s
father were both killed flying in the war.
Tony says he will have plenty of money when he is twenty-one. Both boys confirm that are aged sixteen and
they discuss their aircraft. Tony says
“We aren’t out for breaking records”.
Biggles shook his head slowly.
“What you’re going to break is your neck”. He adds “I’m sorry, Tony. I think you’ve done a wonderful job and I
give your full marks for it. But I’m an
air police officer and I can’t let you go on with this. Already there have been complaints. If you don’t kill yourselves, presently
you’re going to kill someone else”.
Biggles asks if they have a Certificate of Airworthiness, but they
haven’t applied for one yet. Cliff
points out “the Wright Brothers didn’t have a C. of A. and if they hadn’t gone
ahead with their idea there still wouldn’t be any flying. Our plan is to have a machine all ready to go
into production the day we leave school”.
Biggles says “I’ll tell you a better idea. Instead of learning by trial and error, as
you are now, which wastes time, why not wait till you leave school and then
take a course of aircraft engineering.
Then, by the time you inherit your father’s money you’ll be qualified to
start business seriously”. “But we want
to fly now” insists Tony. Biggles
tries to talk them out of flying. “On
the ground you can make mistakes and get away with it, but in the air, unless
you’re lucky, you only make one”. “You
are a cheerful Jonah, I must say” is the reply.
“I’m not going to argue with your any longer,” said Biggles firmly. “I’ll go and discuss this matter with my
chief and let you know his decision.
Meanwhile, you can taxi to your heart’s content, but don’t leave the
ground. That way you shouldn’t hurt
anyone except yourself. Unless you
promise to do that I shall immobilize this aircraft
here and now”. “All right,” agreed Tony
reluctantly. Biggles asks his mother’s
name and address. She is Lady Hankin or Betcham Manor.
Biggles then discovers that Tony is Lord Antony Hankin. As Biggles and Ginger return to their Auster,
Biggles says to Ginger, “Their mothers must be out of their minds to let them
do it – but then, some mothers are like that”.
Back at Scotland Yard Biggles explains
the situation to Air Commodore Raymond who says “They’ll have to be
stopped. They’re a danger to themselves
and everyone else”. Raymond telephones
Lady Hankin at Betcham Manor and has a long talk with
her. After the call, he tells Biggles
“She says she’s terrified, but she can’t stop them. Tony’s mad about flying. She talked a lot of nonsense about him being
a problem child”. “The boy looked normal
enough to me,” stated Biggles. “The fact
is, I imagine, he’s always been allowed to have anything he wants”. “Well, he can’t have an aeroplane,” said the
Air Commodore, definitely. “He’s too
young. If he won’t promise to stay on
the ground we shall have to take that dangerous toy
away from him. Go and tell him so”. Biggles and Ginger fly back to Betcham Manor through weather that was fast deteriorating,
necessitating detours to avoid thunderstorms.
When they land, they find Cliff but no Tony and no Skylark. Cliff says he took off over an hour ago and
has disappeared and the Skylark only has an endurance of half an
hour. As Biggles and Ginger go towards
the Auster with the intention of going to look for him, Tony arrives back,
trudging wearily across the marsh through a drizzle of rain, limping and
bedraggled, with a bloodstained handkerchief tied round his forehead. Tony explains he had no intention of taking
off. He was taxi-ing
fast and a gust of wind lifted him off the ground and before he could get round
to land again the rain came and he couldn’t see a thing. Tony has then had a terrifying time, blind as
a bat and unable to get down and land.
Eventually his engine packed up and he landed in a pasture with a barbed
wire fence. “I ran slap into it and the
poor old Skylark folded up round me in a tangle of wire. As I struggled to get out
I thought of planes catching fire, and …”
“Flying didn’t seem so good,” suggested Biggles. “No”.
“But the ground felt pretty good, eh?”
“Wonderful. I could hardly
believe I was on it in one piece”.
Biggles says “I take it you’ve finished flying for the time being?” Tony smiled ruefully. “For some time, I’m afraid”. “Then there’s nothing more to be said,”
returned Biggles. “Here’s my card. Let me know how you get on. If you want any more advice
you know where to come. Goodbye for
now”. “Goodbye, and thanks a lot for
being so decent about all this,” was Tony’s last word as Biggles and Ginger
walked back to the Auster.