Norman A Thompson was educated at
Cambridge. He went on to be an electrical
engineer, but became interested in aviation
after reading F W Lanchester’s Aerodynamics,
published in 1907. The appearance of a
second volume by Lanchester, Aerodonetics,
during 1908, persuaded Thompson of the
sound future of aeroplanes and he left his job
with Clyde Valley Electrical Power to pursue
this new technology. Thompson formed a
partnership with Dr Douglas White, a friend
who agreed to fund their enterprise, and in
1909 he met Lanchester, securing his co-
operation as designer and adviser.
The venture’s first aeroplane began as
a single-engined, single-seat design, but
developed into a two-seater employing
two 50hp coupled Gnôme pusher engines.
Construction was started by Daimler at
Coventry, but over the summer of 1910 work
moved to the team’s new Middleton premises.
Their shoreline workshop abutted a stretch of
firm sand, used for testing the aircraft. At first
the aeroplane was referred to simply as the
No.1, but was later named Grey Angel.The No.1’s biplane wings were of all-metal
construction and covered with aluminium,
most unusual for the time. Four fixed fins and
biplane tailplanes were adopted, while the
fuselage was ash skinned with steel and a
four-wheel ‘perambulator’ undercarriage was
fitted. Unfortunately, tests by Thompson and
Captain Wilmot Nicholson RN revealed the
No.1 couldn’t take off; modifications followed,
including larger, four-bladed propellers. The
No.1 finally hopped, but was damaged after it
ran into the sea, its undercarriage gave out and
it overturned. Despite that setback, during June
1912 the White and Thompson Company was
registered for the manufacture of aeroplanes.
By January 1913, a second aircraft had
appeared, designed by Thompson alone. A
pusher biplane, the No.2 used a 120hp ABC
engine driving a large, three-bladed airscrew
through an extension shaft. It featured a
two-seat side-by-side layout and spidery
undercarriage. The No.2 was successful and
flew early in 1913. Over its life it was piloted,
among others, by Thompson himself and
by the company’s pilot Lt John C Porte RN.During early 1914, Porte somersaulted the
aircraft among the rocks on the beach, but
by then Thompson’s enthusiasm had shifted
to waterborne aircraft and his damaged No.2
was discarded.FLYING BOATS
The previous autumn an American Curtiss
flying boat had appeared at the nearby
Brighton seaplane base run by inventorHerman Volk, for use by Capt Ernest C
Bass. White and Thompson was engaged to
maintain the aircraft, and Porte made several
flights. Porte was critical but Thompson was
impressed and so the company acquired
British rights to build flying boats to the
Curtiss design. Porte left to work with
Curtiss in America, and was replaced by Eric
Gordon England.Thompson then took a daring decision;
he’d produce two different flying boats, and
enter them in the forthcoming Daily Mail
Circuit of Britain race for waterborne aircraft to
secure publicity for his small company. In the
event the race was cancelled, but the growing
threat of war ensured successful aircraft
designs would find a market.
The first of Norman Thompson’s new
flying boats to emerge was the simpler; asingle-engined, side-by-side pusher biplane
powered by a 120hp Beardmore-built Austro-
Daimler engine, its hull constructed by S E
Saunders. A two-bay wingform was adopted,
the upper of greater span and fitted with
ailerons as well as a prominent central fin.
Known as the No.2 Flying Boat, it was given
racing Number 6 and first flew on August 1,- However, as war was breaking out
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 79No.1 Flying-Boat was due to be ‘Circuit of Britain’ competitor No.9, and is seen during August- Though allotted service serial 883, it was never delivered.
White and Thompson-built ‘Circuit of Britain’ aircraft No.6, the No. 2 Flying Boat, which was later taken on charge by the Royal Naval Air Service
as 882. Norman Thompson stands proudly by the new machine.This example, 3808, was the last of the No.3 Flying Boats, delivered to Calshot during October
1915 and used for training until the spring of 1917. It employed a prominent set of kingposts
between its engine mountings and the upper forward hull.78-82_thompsonDC.mf.indd 79 03/08/2017 19:08