Clark, J
Clark, J
Contents
History
John Clarke was born on 8 July 1905 in Dalston, City of Carlisle, Cumbria, the son of Isaac Joseph Clarke and Annie Clarke (née Carter). On 31 January 1922 he enlisted in the RAF straight from school, and did an apprenticeship at the Royal Air Force School of Technical Training at RAF Halton. Rising to LAC Fitter AE, he was considered suitable for training as a pilot and awarded a cadetship to RAF College Cranwell in January 1925, where he distinguished himself as the best all round pilot. He was granted a permanent commission as Pilot Officer with effect from 11 Dec 1926, and promoted to the rank of Flying Officer on 11 June 1928.
While at Cranwell, Clarke designed and built the Cheetah, an aircraft that could be flow as either a monoplane or biplane, utilizing wings from a de Havilland D.H.53 and a Halton Mayfly. The aircraft first flew in the summer of 1929 and gained its Certificate of Airworthiness on 17 September, but Clarke did not live to enjoy his aeroplane, being killed on 11 October 1929 in an RAF accident at Brough, when he struck a shed whilst flight testing an Armstrong Siddeley Siskin Mk.IIIA of 29 Squadron.
Company References
- British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
- Ancestry.com
- Fold 3
- The Gazette
Project Data
| Project No | Type No | Name | Alternative Name(s) | Year | Spec (Requirement) | Status | Qty | Description | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheetah | 1929 | Proto | 1 | 1S, 1E convertible biplane/monoplane | 1, 2, 3, 4 |
Project References
- British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 2, A.J. Jackson (Putnam, 2nd Ed., 1973)
- British Homebuilt Aircraft since 1920, Ken Ellis (Merseyside Aviation Society, 1975)
- British Light Aeroplanes 1920-1940, Arthur W.J.G. Ord-Hume (GMS Enterprises, 2000)
- Ultralights, The Early British Classics, Richard Riding (Patrick Stephens, 1987)
Production Details and Type Description
Single seat optional biplane or monoplane. The upper wing came from a de Havilland DH.53, meaning Clarke had to construct a previously non-existent centre section. The lower wings came from the sesquiplane Halton Mayfly. When rigged as a monoplane, the Cheetah had a pair of parallel lift struts on each side from the lower fuselage longeron to the two wing spars, not far outboard. There was also a pair of inverted V cabane struts supporting the centre section. To convert to a biplane (strictly a sesquiplane) the lower wings were attached to the fuselage at the base of the lift struts and supported by the original, unusual, integral asymmetric X interplane struts from the Mayfly, running out and down from the top of the lift struts at about 45 degrees to meet the lower wing well outboard. The Cheetah also adopted a DH.53 empennage.The fuselage was new; a canvas covered wooden wire braced structure. There was a single open cockpit at the trailing edge of the (upper) wing, which had a slight cut-out in the new centre section for visibility, and a new single axle undercarriage mounted on legs to the lower longerons with rearward bracing. One 35 h.p. Blackburne Thrush powerplant, mounted in the inverted-Y orientation and driving a two-bladed propeller.
| Specification | |||||||||
| Span | Length | Height | Wing Area | Empty Wt | Max AUW | Cruise Speed | Maximum Speed | Range | Service Ceiling |
| 29 ft | 19 ft 10 in | 4 ft 8 in | 114 sq ft | 450 lb | 678 lb | ||||
| 8.84 m | 6.05 m | 1.42 m | 10.59 m2 | 204 kg | 308 kg | ||||
Total Clarke, J Production1