page_title: British Army Aeroplane No 1
section_title: Subsequent use
hierarchical_section_title: British Army Aeroplane No 1 / Operational history / Subsequent use
caption_attribution_description: English: Aviation in Britain Before the First World War- the work of Samuel Franklin Cody in Airship, Kite and Aircraft Aeronautics 1903 - 1913 Cody Aircraft Mark IC (nicknamed Cathedral), with S F Cody at the controls, passes a marker post at the 1909 Doncaster Aviation Meeting, the first organised aviation meeting in Britain. Shortly after the photograph was taken, the aircraft crashed when its undercarriage became caught in a ditch. However it only sustained minor damage. S F Cody became a British citizen during an elaborate ceremony staged at this meeting in order to be able to enter a number of flying competitions which were only open to British entrants.
context_page_description: The British Army Aeroplane No 1 or sometimes Cody 1 was a biplane built by Samuel Franklin Cody in 1907 at the Army Balloon Factory at Farnborough. It made the first recognised powered and sustained flight in the United Kingdom on 16 October 1908.
context_section_description: Cody's personal relationship with Capper was unharmed, and he continued to operate the aircraft at Farnborough. On 14 May 1909 he made a flight of over a mile between Laffan's Plain and Danger Hill.  Later the same day he attempted to repeat the performance at the request of the Prince of Wales, who was observing Army manoeuvres at Aldershot.  Unluckily, on takeoff he was caught by a gust as he turned the machine to avoid some troops on the ground, and was forced to land, the aircraft sustaining some damage to the tail. The Prince  was nevertheless satisfied, telling Cody of his pleasure at seeing a British aeroplane that could fly.
  Back in the workshop, Cody made further adjustments, discarding the twin rudders and moving the radiators so that they were now in front of the front interplane struts. The tailwheel was removed and replaced by a substantial skid. In mid-July Cody flew the aircraft again, managing to complete a circular flight of four miles on 21 July, after which he decided to fit a 60 hp E.N.V. Type F engine. Importantly, the position of the pilot and engine were exchanged: the pilots seat now being directly in front of the leading edge of the wing, and the engine above it. The position of the ailerons was also adjusted; the outriggers were removed, the ailerons now being directly mounted on the forward interplane struts.
  Apart from very minor adjustments, this was the aircraft's final form. It was flown for three miles on 11 August. Cody was initially startled by the experience provided by the new seating position, recording "I find my new position in front of the engine has a much more sensational effects on the nerves than the old position, in fact until last night I never knew I had any nerves. I think, however, I shall get over this slight timidness after a few runs". but the aircraft was now performing well and after several flights on 13 August Cody considered it safe enough to take a passenger. The next day this honour went to Capper, and later that day Cody took his wife for a three-mile flight, making her the first woman to fly in an aeroplane in the United Kingdom.
  On 8 September 1909 he made a flight lasting over an hour, covering around 40 miles (64 km), landing because he was out of fuel.  He also flew the aircraft at the Doncaster Flight Meeting in October 1909. Although he did not win any of the prizes on offer, Cody made use of his appearance to publicly take British citizenship on 28 October, and promptly entered his name for the Daily Mail prize for the first British aircraft to make a circular flight of over a mile. However, the Doncaster meeting had not been sanctioned by the Royal Aero Club, and so any flights made there could not be officially ratified, and the prize was eventually won by J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon on 30 October.
  In January Cody had hoped to win the £1,000 prize offered by Sir William Hartley for a flight between Manchester and Liverpool, which had to be made before 26 January. Although he took the aircraft to Aintree, his attempt was prevented by fog.  After this flight Cody concentrated his efforts on the new aircraft he was building, the Cody Michelin Cup Biplane.
caption: Cody at the Doncaster Aero Meeting
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