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Martin Butler: Pioneer Aviator
Kete Horowhenua2020-03-23T17:03:08+00:00| Creator | Joan-Marie O'Dea |
Martin Butler: Pioneer Aviator
Source: Sport Flying 1990
by Joan-Marie O'Dea
The Levin Chronicle of July 1932 reported there was a large crowd of people on Waitarere Beach, just north of Levin, that day when my father Martin Butler, a motor mechanic of Levin, tried out the monoplane he had been building in his spare time for the previous two years.
For the journey from Levin to Waitarere the monoplane was moved in sections by motor lorry and assembled at the beach. When the plane was assembled, she presented quite a smart appearance. The engine was started at 2.OOpm. The "Chronicle" reports that the gathered crowd felt that success was near for the 22-year-old aviator/engineer. Martin (or Jack, as Dad liked to be called by his family), revved up the engine. However, the gasket blew out and a flood of water through the carburettor brought the engine to a standstill.
Later, at 4.lOpm, the machine made a short run along the beach into the face of a stiff southerly breeze and after a short distance, lifted nicely into the air. As this was entirely a trial it was not my father's intention to make for altitude and after a short flight he made a very fine landing and took off again.
My father always expressed great satisfaction with the way the machine behaved and was looking forward to more favourable weather conditions for his next attempt.
The machine was described as a monoplane with a wing span of 28 feet. The engine was a Ford Model A which developed 40 horsepower at 2000 revolutions per minute and the cruising speed was estimated at 75 miles per hour. Construction work on the monoplane was carried out at Mr J.C. Milnes Ford Garage at Levin. My father was assisted, and acknowledged the support and assistance of Jack Milne himself, and members of his staff, including Mr Bill Harding. Major Cowper - an instructor at the Levin Aero Club, Mr T. Carpenter and Mr Syd Butt were also a support to my father in his endeavours to attempt his dream.
The wing and fuselage were built to Gerber monoplane plans obtained from America. The wingribs and fuselage were constructed of redwood timber. Both wing spars front and rear were boxed ply, and the propellor was made by an outside firm to specifications by Mr George Bolt who was at that time an instructor with the Wellington Aero Club. The engine as already described was a Ford Model A using a modified radiator for cooling. The propellor was bolted directly to the crankshaft. The engine was tried out on numerous occasions at Jack Milnes garage in Levin.
The day of my father's maiden flight the wing was bolted on. An elderly lady, a friend of the family, Mrs Hesp, gave jack Butler a silver medal of St Francis of Assisi. This medallion was tacked onto the inside of the plane seat. My father was not a holy man but contained a deep faith. Today, I still have the medallion. My father's faith was truly tested that day. The amazing risk factor, his tenacity was the driving force that caused him to pursue an amazing feat for a 22-year-old mechanic.
On his final flight on 19 July 1932, he experienced several short hops but finally the young aviator coaxed the aircraft to an altitude of about 1000 feet. The monplane was extremely difficult to get airborne, chiefly because my father maintained he himself was inexperienced and because the plane was underpowered. My father's own words were "The final crash was due to difficulty in my getting off the ground. I was actually using the stick before gaining sufficient forward speed. After numerous failures I held the stick forward and allowed the plane to gather maximum speed and at this stage the plane rose quickly and easily. I estimated the distance in height to be 1000 feet."
Jack (Martin), the young aviator flew up and down the beach several times, then, noticing the radiator was boiling furiously, decided to land. After about 15-20 minutes, Mr Carpenter, a colleague and an onlooker, remembers that Jack's machine seemed to have a vapour trail out behind it. Not speed, but steam. He stated that he hoped Jack would come down before the kite got too hot. Dad recalled that after throttling back, he appeared to be gliding to a normal landing, but as he was later told by onlookers below, the plane was dropping almost vertically. Jack only realised she was dropping as the machine neared the ground.
He said "After pushing the stick forward I hoped to be able to glide, but instead the action caused my plane to dive for the ground. My attempts to come out of the dive were just too late and the wheels hit the beach. The plane bounced and fell back. The fuselage broke at the cockpit, allowing engine and wing to fall forward." Jack emerged unhurt, after his close shave with an accident. The St Francis medals from Mrs Hesp gave him courage and kept him safe. In fact, during hip lifetime that is what he always maintained.
Almost 60 years have elapsed since that eventful flight. During his lifetime my dad always showed a great interest and insatiable thirst for any type of machinery that worked. This is borne out by the fact that in 1934, he designed and in fact patented a reversible trailer and in later years invented a haybaler and drier on his sister's farm in Ohaupo. At the tender age of 15 he invented a lotion for curling hair - fondly tried out by his sister whose hair turned green.
My father's career was with Colonial Motor Co. in Wellington, where he worked for 40 years as an engineer. He left us in February 1969.
Today as proof of his courage, skill and drive, is a polished propellor in the Levin Historical Rooms at Levin. This is living proof and a fitting memory to the young aviator who always intended to streamline the first monoplane. Due to Ministry of Transport restriction Jack was thwarted from his second attempt to try again with another monoplane, so the propellor was never used.