Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Horatio Claude Barber (1875–1964) was an early

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...

pioneer and

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

flight instructor. In 1911 he flew the first cargo flight in Britain, transporting electric light bulbs from Shoreham to

Hove Hove ( ) is a seaside resort in East Sussex, England. Alongside Brighton, it is one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove. Originally a fishing village surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th century in respon ...

. He was also the first person in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

to gain an aeronautical degree.

Biography

Barber was one of the first aviation pioneers and within a few years of the first powered flight he leased a railway arch in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in southwest London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and also extends along the south bank of the Thames Tideway. It includes the Battersea Park. Hist ...

to design and produce aircraft. In 1909 he moved to Lark Hill on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

and formed the Aeronautical Syndicate Limited to produce his designs. In early 1910 he began to fly his designs and in late September 1910 he became the first occupant of Hendon Aerodrome, newly established by the London Aerodrome Co, where he leased three hangars. His ASL Valkyrie design started test flying from there in October 1910, Barber using the aircraft to gain his Aero Club Certificate (No. 30) in November of that year."The Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom OFFICIAL NOTICES TO MEMBERS"
''Flight'' 26 November 1910 p. 997 The company gave four Valkyries to the government and one aircraft and military pilot were lost in an accident in September 1911. Barber carried on with some experimental work, producing a tractor biplane called the ASL Viking early in 1912, but in April 1912 he dissolved the Syndicate, having failed to achieve any commercial success. The company's aircraft and equipment were sold, mostly to

Frederick Handley Page Sir Frederick Handley Page (15 November 1885 – 21 April 1962) was an English industrialist who was a pioneer in the aircraft industry and became known as the father of the heavy bomber. His company Handley Page, Handley Page Limited wa ...

. Barber continued to work as an aeronautical consultant, with an office at 59 Pall Mall in London. In 1912 he tried to insure himself against any liability from passengers of his aircraft, this was unknown at the time and Lloyd's asked him to write his own

policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an or ...

, the first aircraft insurance policy. Barber served in the First World War in the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

(RFC) and later the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF). He was one of the first flying instructors at Shoreham and he also invented a number of training aids. In 1917 he published a book ''The Aeroplane Speaks'' and in 1927 ''Aerobatics''. After the war he continued his involvement in aircraft insurance. He died in 1964.

Legacy

A replica of his Valkyrie design is on display at

Fantasy of Flight Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida. It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Kendall-Tamiami E ...

in Polk City, Florida.

References

Early Aviators
*

External links

* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Horation Claude 1875 births 1964 deaths British aviation pioneers British World War I pilots English aviators Royal Air Force officers Royal Flying Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Members of the Early Birds of Aviation