Wilfred Parke
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Wilfred Parke RN (1889–1912) was a British airman and became the first aviator to recover from an accidental spin.
and his mother was Hilda Fort. He was the grandson of Charles Joseph Parke of Henbury
in Dorset
a former High Sheriff of the county and was a great nephew of General William Parke
as well as being great great grandson of the Reverend Charles Wickstead Ethelston who read the riot act at the Peterloo riots and signed the arrest for the speakers.
. In August 1912, he became the first aviator to recover from an accidental spin
when the Avro G cabin biplane, with which he had just broken a world endurance record, entered a spin at 700 feet above ground level at Larkhill Aerodrome on Salisbury Plain. Parke attempted to recover from the spin by increasing engine speed, pulling back on the stick, and turning into the spin, with no effect. The aircraft descended 450 feet, and observers braced themselves for a fatal crash.
Parke was disabled by centrifugal forces but was still considering a means of escape. In an effort to neutralize the forces pinning him against the right side of the cockpit, he applied full right rudder, and the aircraft levelled out fifty feet above the ground. With the aircraft now under control, Parke climbed, made another approach, and landed safely.
In spite of the discovery of "Parke's technique," also known as the "Parke Dive", pilots were not taught spin-recovery procedures until the beginning of World War I.
Family
Parkes's father was Alfred Watlington Parke, the Rector of UplymeUplyme
Uplyme is a village which lies in East Devon on the Devon-Dorset border and the River Lym, adjacent to the Dorset coastal town of Lyme Regis. It has a population of approximately 1700.-History and background:...
and his mother was Hilda Fort. He was the grandson of Charles Joseph Parke of Henbury
Henbury, Dorset
Henbury is a hamlet in the civil parish of Sturminster Marshall in Dorset, England. It lies on the A31 road.Henbury House is a classical Georgian house built in 1770. In the 19th century the estate was held by the Parke family...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
a former High Sheriff of the county and was a great nephew of General William Parke
William Parke
General Sir William Parke was born on 17 May 1822 in London in England. He was the son of Charles Parke, a land owner, formerly H.B.M Commissioner to the kingdom of Mexico and Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset and Letitia Alcock, the sister of Thomas Alcock ....
as well as being great great grandson of the Reverend Charles Wickstead Ethelston who read the riot act at the Peterloo riots and signed the arrest for the speakers.
Career
In April 1911 Parke took his pilot's certificate and joined the naval wing of the RFCRoyal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
. In August 1912, he became the first aviator to recover from an accidental spin
Spin (flight)
In aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in autorotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a corkscrew downward path. Spins can be entered intentionally or unintentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw...
when the Avro G cabin biplane, with which he had just broken a world endurance record, entered a spin at 700 feet above ground level at Larkhill Aerodrome on Salisbury Plain. Parke attempted to recover from the spin by increasing engine speed, pulling back on the stick, and turning into the spin, with no effect. The aircraft descended 450 feet, and observers braced themselves for a fatal crash.
Parke was disabled by centrifugal forces but was still considering a means of escape. In an effort to neutralize the forces pinning him against the right side of the cockpit, he applied full right rudder, and the aircraft levelled out fifty feet above the ground. With the aircraft now under control, Parke climbed, made another approach, and landed safely.
In spite of the discovery of "Parke's technique," also known as the "Parke Dive", pilots were not taught spin-recovery procedures until the beginning of World War I.