Amy Johnson

              Queen of the air----Amy Johnson C.B.E.

                 (1903---1941)








            
                  

                          
                             " While ever humans fly, she will be remembered."

           
            
                 Amy was the first female pilot to fly alone from Britain
            to Australia in a second hand, open cockpit, de Havilland
            Gipsy Moth which she named "Jason 1".

             During the 1930s Johnson set numerous long distance
           but it was the above feat she is best remembered for.

       
           Born in Hull, Amy attend Sheffield University. graduating with a Bachelor of arts degree in 
         economics. She then worked in London where she was first introduced to flying, gaining both
          a  pilots "A" licence and a ground engineers "C" licence.


              
                                                                       





                                           


            
                                                                                                                        

 

                                                                                                                   
         
       The omens were not auspicious on that cold morning in 1930, when a twenty-seven year old
    girl climbed into a single engine plane to set out  alone on a 10,000 mile flight to Australia.

        Amy was not a gifted or natural pilot but she had an iron will and sheer determination, but
.    most of all incredible luck.
           

    

                                                                                 
      
                                                                                         
                                                                                             .

      

      
       

         After a spectacular career, Amy Johnson died in circumstances surrounded by secrecy.
     On the 5th of January 1941, in fog ,Amy got hopelessly lost and ran out of petrol above the    
    Thames estuary, and had to bale out.

     An eye witness, recalls a parachute coming down and when approached by a patrol vessel, she
    called out saying who she was and could they get her out of water as soon as possible as it was
   very cold. A rope was thrown, but Amy could not hold on to it. Suddenly someone reversed the 
   ships engines-- Amy was drawn into the propellers and chopped to pieces.

     
                 No remains of Amy were ever found and many were sworn to secrecy.

                http://youtu.be/HWkAib0U3hg         ( Amy Johnson speaks)

               http://youtu.be/JJPIW5uYyYY           (Amy Johnson film 4299)

 

The Filey Coble ( Yorkshire, England.)

 "The Filey Coble"



                           SH 218   The last of its kind fishing off the coast of Filey



         The Filey Coble is an open clinker-built type of traditional fishing boat. The distinctive shape of the boat -flat-bottomed and high bowed-arose to cope with the particular conditions prevalent in the area.
    Flat bottoms allowed launching from and landing upon shallow sandy beaches, an advantage in   this  part of the Yorkshire coast, where the wide bay provides little protection from stormy weather.

         However, high bows were required to sail in the lumpy North sea and in particular to launch
   into surf and to land on the beaches. The design contains relics of both Dutch and Norse influence.

         Constructed as required the craftsmanship on many boats gave them a long working life.The old
   lug-powered cobles had a reputation as dangerous to sail for an inexperience crew. But today most
  are diesel powered.

         Designed to be launched into considerable head seas from flat sands, these Filey cobles have
  the typical deep forefoot, pronounced sheer and considerable tumblehome of the type. Twin bilge runners (drafts) run right aft.

        For both launch and recovery the boats are swung around to go head to sea, the upswept bow rising to meet the oncoming surf. the boats are all kept ashore on wheeled launching trolleys.

        Originally, horses were used to launch and recover the lug powered boats but now this is performed by a tractor. The modern cobles, as seen below, often have a small wheelhouse with gantries to support line and pot haulers both possible because there is now no sailing gear.

                               Unfortunately, due to a number of factors, in a very short time the
                         Filey coble will be extinct, which is a sad state of affair for the town.


                               The photographs below show the Filey coble of yesteryear.

                               

 

 

 

 

Coming home for the last time