1st East Grinstead Scout Group
Centenary 1908 - 2008
Second Glider, First Trial May 5 1912, damaged on 12th May
Left to Right; Mr Bagot, Miss M Bagot, George Smith and Tom Beard
A year later the boys were at work on a more ambitious machine —Glider 3, but on trial it was not a success, and it was finally dismantled. About this time one enthusiast appeared with a pair of wings attached to a bicycle, with which he used to tear down hills. He managed to keep his neck intact, but not the bike. No records were broken.
Glider 4 was begun on a very ambitious scale, and was our winter work for 1913-14. The new machine was a biplane with a wing span of 30 feet, an undercarriage with wheels, shock absorbers, proper seat and controls for the pilot, and was, in fact, practically a copy of the Wright Bros. glider.
By July 1914, this machine was ready and we were waiting for a favourable day to try it but, eventually we proceeded to camp before the trial took place. The war intervened and when we returned in 1919, Glider No. 4 had ceased to exist as a usable machine.