Gibson's Aeroplanes advertisement

Category

Library Item

Item no

34551

Title

Advertisement for Gibson's Aeroplanes, Leith Walk

Description

The advert's text states,
"We manufacture Aeroplanes from our own drawings, or to suit customers' requirement. Complete biplanes, all on, from £450".

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1911

Size

8.2 x 8.2 cm

Type

Lantern slide; Press cutting; Reproduction

Gibsons were building aircraft in Leith Walk between 1909 - 1913.

As you can see Edinburgh had aeroplane builders from an early stage in flight, The Gibson's, father and son at the Caledonian Motor and Cycle works in Leith built a pusher biplane in 1909, only six years after the first flight in America. The plane was typical of the period and although powered by a 30 hp engine the plane was not capable of flight.

Not to be outdone, in 1910 they build the Gibson Biplane No 2 which was a reconstruction of the first model, and this plane was flown from Beautland Farm near Balerno in August that year.
Gibson's built a further nine aircraft, one of which was shown at the Scottish Exhibition in 1911. Of the eleven planes built, by the start of the war, four were destroyed during testing, one was burned during an exhibition in Brussels and the rest were sold. They also designed and built a third Biplane of the Farman type which was sold. Nothing was heard of them after the war.

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Related subjects

Business > Advertising > Advertisements

Communication > Press > Magazines

Places > Edinburgh areas > Leith Walk

Places > United Kingdom > Scotland

Transport > Air > Biplanes