The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-26
HAWKER ALWAYS
NOTED FOR LUCK
Took Chances Of Death Al
most Daily During Career as
Machine Tester.
MADE RECORD FLIGHTS
Training Fitted Young Aus
tralian for Great Adven-
ture in Small Biplane.
MADE RECORD FLIGHTS

The luck OF Harry q. Hawker, which
has stayed with him for eight years
through the thrills and dangers of his
work as an experimental and test nier
did not desert him when no came to the
crucial moment of his career. DURING
his term Of service with the Sopwith
company Hawker took chances with his
life half dozen times a day that make
the average mortal tremble to ever
think about-and he has never, 80 far
as records show. received any injuries
more serious than q few bumps and
bruises. And now. when he falls Into
the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of milei
from land. with about one chance In A
million Of getting out OF his trouble
alive, the Hawker luck holds good and
he hobs up again. safe and sound and
with his reputation as daredevil in
creased hundredfold.
But although Hawker was a dare.
devil aviator, and It wasn't safe to pre-
dict any morning that he would live
through the day. he has been cam,
enough to command a salary that FOR
several years has made him the highest
paid air pilot in the world, as well Al
one OF the most skilfui He was a tes
nier for the Sopwith Aviation Company
and made several flights each day tc
test out the creations Of the Sopwith
engineers, For this he got Sl25 every
time he went into the air and II ha,
been estimated that during the las,
few years his earnings have averaged
more than 100000 q year.
Hawker now lives in very solid com.
fort at Kingston Thames with hi
vito and their baby daughter, ou
when he went to England from Australis
eight years ago he was very poor man
young mechanic barely twenty year,
old. able to earn a few shiIlinss a week
When he landed In Britain he knew
nothing about airplanes he hoped to &c,
| Job as mechanic in a bicycle shop
making and repairing bicycles. But 4
was hardly year before Hawker fell
the lure Of the air and he abandoned
the bicycle industry and got q fob Al
| mechanic in the Sopwith aviation works
becoming a pilot a year later.
Would Always Take q Chance.
Even in those days when q man Aai
| to be a daredevil. absolutely reckless
and unmindful Of his life Hawker soor
| became noted for his daring. He woult
attempt to fly anything that would &c
on the ground and It wasn't long befor,
| he began testing the sopwith planes
| and taking out experimental machines
that none Of the other aviators would at
| tempt to handle.
The daring and absolute disregard O
possible consequences to himself tina
| so characterized Hawker and his al
feats arc illustrated by a test whicl
he made at the sopwith aviation field
at Brooklands when he was preparrn,
for his overseas attempt He conceive,
the idea Of increasing the speed Of hi
airplane by dropping the running an,
landing gear Of the machine, and VINE,
| the Sopwith experts said ne couldn'
land with a machine lacking 30 much o
what had been regarded as vital an
necessary equipment. Hawker said h
would take a machine up and find out
So he had the sopwith company bull,
him n plane which had a lever attach
ment by which he could release tn
landing and running gears Then h
went w. dropped the gears, and despit
the fact that a speed OF forty miles a,
hour was necessary to keep the plan
| n
other damage than a smashed propelle
and a cracked wing. and sundry oruise
Ito himself
Hawker hadnt been flying more tina
a few months before he began winnin
medals and trophies and prizes. He wo
the Michelin trophy In 1919 for the Ions
est flight from sunrise to sunset II
was In the air eight hours and twenty
three minutes. beating his nearest rivs
by forty-fve minutes. And II Is rattle
coincidence that this rival was Ere
Raynham. who was Hawker's keenes
rival in the dash overseas and who's
machine crashed as he was about to TAX
on at st. Johns, Just after Hawker ha
started. The next year. in 1918, Hawke
and Raynham again met in competition
and again Hawker won. beating Rayr
ham by half a minute in an aerial rae
across country.
Many Records to HIS Credit.
Hawker entered the great race aroun
England in 1913. for which the I,ondo
! Daily MdH offered a prize Of S25, 900, bu
engine trouble kept him from fnishinJ
although he flew 1.046 miles. He wa
compelled to land off the Irish coas
near Dublin, and SO failed to finish III
last 500 miles. That same year Hawke
TOOK a plane up to $4,000 feet, carrie
two passengers to a height OF IL 900 fee
and three to a height OF 5000 feet, Eres
and important feats in those days c
aviation experiments. Two years late
he established British altitude recor
OF 10000 feet at Hendon and In l9l
worlds altitude record of 28.50O fee
which stood until recently. when It wa
bettered by Major Schroeder of tn
United States Army.
But most OF Hawker's thrilling stunt
are not officially recorded. because the
were done as part OF the days wor
end no official time was taken on then
He is known to have made many shoI
flights and experimental trips whic
have added sreatly to airpiane know
edge Aviators who know Hawker we
say he is cool and unassuming. that h
has a delightful personality and that h
docs not know the meaning of the WORD
! anArvaap and