kW) Gnome rotary engine and had a wingspan of The Type C, which seated three people, was powered by a 60 hp Green water-cooled engine and had a wingspan of . At least twelve were constructed, the last of these in early 1912. Most of the aircraft constructed were Type B, at least one of which was fitted with dual controls. Operational history Although they were considered tricky to fly, by contemporary standards the Valkyrie monoplane was a successful design. Most of the aircraft produced were used for training and exhibition purposes, principally at the ASL's flight school at Hendon. On 25 May 1911 a six-week-old Valkyrie from the Valkyrie school crashed killing the student pilot Bernard Benson, only the third Briton to be killed in an aircraft accident. On 4 July 1911 a Valkyrie flown by Barber carried a box of light-bulbs from Shoreham to Hove, the first commercial air cargo flight in Britain. Barber gave the £100 he was paid to charity. Another notable early flight was made when Miss Eleanor Trehawke Davies chartered Barber to fly her from Hendon to Brighton and back. The flight, hampered by cloud and high winds, took two days. Miss Trehawke Davies was a notable flying enthusiast, and was later to become the first passenger to be carried between London and Paris. Four aircraft were given to the War Office to promote military aviation in Britain. One of these crashed at Hendon on 17 September 1911 when on a trial flight after a new engine had been fitted: the pilot, Lieutenant Reginald Archibald Cammell was killed. The accident was not considered to be due to faults in the aircraft, but to have been caused by Cammell's lack of experience with the aircraft. Two aircraft were delivered to Eastchurch in September 1911, but were not flown there. On 28 September 1911 C. R. Samson reported them unairworthy, needing extensive refurbishment. This was not considered worthwhile, since Samson did not consider them suitable for instructional work. Specifications (Valkyrie 'B') Notes References Driver, Hugh. The Birth of Military Aviation: Britain 1903-1914. Woodbridge: The Boydel Press for the Royal Historical Society, 1997. Lewis, Peter. British Aircraft 1809-1914. London: Putnam, 1962 1910s British aircraft Canard aircraft Valkyrie Shoulder-wing aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Rotary-engined aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1910