George Prensiel
The following extract may give an indication as to George Prensiel's motives in developing an "aerial safety device"
| The Times, May 28th 1912 reported that following a speed contest held at London Aerodrome, Hendon, that was declared void due to the numerous accidents caused by the gusty conditions, "Shortly after the contests had finished Mr. Prensiell, in a Bleriot monoplane, went out for a flight. Mr. Turner was also in the air on his biplane. When flying on the further side of the Aerodrome at a height of about 100ft. Mr. Prensiell's machine caught the back-wash of that of Mr. Turner and fell to the ground. Mr. Prensiell was pinned underneath sustaining a fractured leg. He was removed to hospital. |
George Prensiel conducts his parachute extraction test from the rear of a moving vehicle. Hendon, England, June 1914
Leoga Aerea Nazionale 30th June 1914 "Bulletin no. 6 - Annee 3
via M. Baptiste Bourdes
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The Italian aviation
publication
30th June 1914 "Bulletin no. 6 - Annee 3 Un nuovo paracadute In Inghilterra e stato provato un nuovo paracudute per aviatori, che presenta partico lari originali degni de rilievo. Quando e dhiuso il paradute occupa uno spazio brevissimo, pur essendoe facisilsimo lo spiegamento. Questo viene effettuato da un tubo d'alluminio ad aria compressa che puo esser fatto funzionare dal pilota, per cui paracadute funziona a qualsiasi altezza, anche piccola, mentre quelli finora inventati avevano bisogno di uno spazio di caduta piu o meno grand per potersi spiegare a funzionare L'inventore e Mr George Prenciel. Translation this needs some work to complete the translation A new parachute In England and tried state a new one paracudute for air, that it introduces partico lari originates them worthy de relief. When and dhiuso the paradute it occupies the short space, also essendoe facisilsimo the deployment. This comes carried out from a aluminum tube to compressed air that puo is made to work from the pilot, for which parachute it works to whichever height, also small, while those up to now invent to you less had need of a space of fall piu or grand for being able itself to explain to work. Inventor and Mr George Prenciel |
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Life-saving Parachute Apparatus for use in Aerial Navigation Patent No. 16,943 On 23rd July, 1913 George Prensiel, an Aviator Engineer, working at the London Aerodrome, Hendon, N. W submitted a patent application ". . . for use in saving life in connection with aerial navigation: the chief object being to ensure the safety of the airman in the event of an accident occurring to the machine or air craft during flight." The device was intended on the activation of the pilot to rapidly release by compressed air a parachute from a cylinder situated within the fuselage of the aircraft immediately to the rear of the aviator's seat. The aviator would be pulled from the aircraft to safety upon the expulsion of the parachute. A year later Prensiel put his compressed air parachute extraction system to the test. Fired from the rear of a moving vehicle the parachute was successfully propelled from its tube. |
"Flight" photo
above: The Prensiel parachute, after having been discharged; descending open near to one of the pylons at Hendon
the following was reported in Flight, 21st August 1914
'There have been a lot of German spy stories about lately and also many unconfirmed rumours but whether the following is one of the latter I am not certain. It is said that a certain person informed the police that he had a German lodger whom he not only believed to be a spy but who had an infernal machine in his room. The police thereupon acted promptly, arrested the "spy", cleared everybody from the house out of danger and bravely put the infernal machine under water. The "spy" was none other than George Prensiel and his bomb was his very ingenious life saving parachute . . . '
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