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The following extract from the official notices to members of the Royal Aero Club, issued under date June 7th, 1913, tells its own story:

“British Height Record.—The report of the flight made by Mr. H. G. Hawker at Brooklands on May 31st, 1913, together with barograph charts, were considered, and it was decided to accept the height accomplished—viz., 11,450 feet—as a British height record. The aircraft used on the occasion was a Sopwith Tractor biplane, fitted with an 80 h.p. Gnome.”

It is interesting to note that de Havilland’s record flight had been made with a passenger, and that it still stood as the record flight for pilot and one passenger.

Earlier in the day, before essaying to break the height record, Harry made the initial tests of another Sopwith Tractor biplane, which proved equal to the prototype. Lieut. Spencer Gray also tested the machine for the Admiralty. When Harry set out on his record-breaking flight the wind had dropped and the sky was clear. Weather conditions were ideal, and the prevailing question was not “Will he break the record?” but “By how much will he break it?” The machine used was the one which had made the memorable ascent of 7,500 feet in 15 minutes, at Hendon, on the Saturday before Whitsun, and was in view of the onlookers throughout the whole flight.