Ruffy-Bauman School

From Inventing aviation
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Key people: Felix Ruffy (Italian) and Edourad Baumman (Swiss); assisted in aeroplane construction by G. Virgilio, a reserve in the Italian submarine service.

Ruffy established the Ruffy Flying School November 1914, at which time he had nearly completed building a 60hp biplane with Gnome engine. By February 1915, the school had become the Ruffy-Bauman Flying School and by July 1915 Ruffy and Bauman had completed a 50hp Gnome-Caudron-type biplane, which was being used by the school. Besides teaching flying, the school also taught engineering and construction. It appears that by 1917 several 50 and 60hp Ruffy-Baumann tractor biplanes had been built, some fitted with dual controls, and were in use at the school. Approximately 1 Jan 1917, Ruffy and Bauman, with R. S. Arnell, formed the Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation Co. Ltd., which took over the school and the manufacturing plant at Hendon with intentions to expand both, but apparently not at Hendon. Apparently in anticipation of the eviction of all the civilian flying schools from Hendon, new grounds were acquired at the Acton Aerodrome, Ealing, West London, and the move was made by the end of February 1917.

During 1917 and into 1918, Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation Co. Ltd. operated its flying school at the Acton Aerodrome, which it had taken over from the London Aviation Company. In early 1918, wanting to get into the aircraft manufacturing business, Waring and Gallow, a furniture maker and finisher, formed the Alliance Aeroplane Co. Ltd. and, absorbing Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann, took over the Acton Aerodrome and built a factory at the other end of the field, known as the London Aviation Ground.

Sources

  • Gunston, 1993, p259
  • Gunston, 2005, p398
  • 1914FM1137, 1234
  • 1915FM399; 475, 480; 612
  • 1916FM332, 545
  • 1917FM26, 52, 239
  • 1949FM236
  • hhgera.com


Names Ruffy-Bauman School, a.k.a. Ruffy-Bauman Flying School.
Country Great Britain
City London Aerodrome, Collindale Ave, Hendon, England
Affiliations
Keywords
Started aero 1914
Ended aero 1916
Key people Felix Ruffy, Edourad Baumman, G. Virgilio
Wikidata id