Francis McClean
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Francis Kennedy McClean AFC
(1876–1955) was an English civil engineer and pioneer aviator
. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Aero Club
and one of the founders of naval aviation and amateur flying.
and he was educated at Charterhouse School
and the Royal Indian Engineering College
at Cooper's Hill. He worked as a civil engineer in the Indian Public Works Department from 1898 to 1902 but left to concentrate on aviation.
expedition to Palma, Majorca. McClean organized 2 astronomical expeditions: one to Flint Island
for the Jan. 3, 1908 solar eclipse
and the other to Port Davey for the May 9, 1910 solar eclipse
; however, bad weather thwarted observations in both expeditions. He also accompanied the expedition organized by Sir Norman Lockyer to Vava'u
for the Apr. 28, 1911 solar eclipse
. McClean made generous gifts to the Lockyer Observatory
.
. McLean owned the ground on which were built the aerodromes at Leysdown and then Eastchurch. He was awarded a Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate #21 after flying a Short Biplane at Eastchurch on 20 September 1910.
In February 1911 he offered to let both the Admiralty and War Office use the aircraft and airfield at Eastchurch to teach naval and military personnel to fly heavier-than-air machines. Although the War Office declined the Admiralty accepted and started to train the first naval aviators.
McClean also had an interest and was a pioneer in submarine photography, with the help of Hugh Spottiswoode he took some acclaimed photographs of the wreck of the SS Oceana just off the coast at Eastbourne
. In August 1912 he flew a seaplane between the upper and lower parts of Tower Bridge and underneath London Bridge.
In 1914 he joined the Royal Naval Air Service
and carried out patrols in the English channel before becoming chief instructor at Eastchurch. He transferred to the Royal Air Force
when it was formed but he resigned in 1919. McLean was a founder member of the Aero Club of Great Britain later the Royal Aero Club
and was chairman in 1923-24 and again from 1941 to 1944.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 1932.
. Their younger daughter, Iona, married Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington. In 1932 McClean was appointed High Sheriff of Oxfordshire. He died on 11 August 1952 in London after a long illness. His name is listed on a memorial on the Isle of Sheppey commemorating thirteen pioneer aviators. The family of Sir Francis McClean donated his papers to the Fleet Air Arm Museum
.
Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
The Air Force Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, and formerly also to officers of the other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying, though not in active operations against the enemy"...
(1876–1955) was an English civil engineer and pioneer aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
. He was one of the founding members of the Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
and one of the founders of naval aviation and amateur flying.
Early life
McClean was born on 1 February 1876 the son of Dr. Frank McCleanFrank McClean
Frank McClean, FRS was a British astronomer and pioneer of objective prism spectrography.His father was the engineer J. R. McClean, FRS. Graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1859, Frank McClean was a Bachelor Scholar at Trinity for the next three years...
and he was educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and the Royal Indian Engineering College
Royal Indian Engineering College
The Royal Indian Engineering College was a British college of Civil Engineering founded by Sir George Tomkyns Chesney in 1870. It was intended to train engineers for the Indian Public Works department. The work of the college was transferred to India in 1906....
at Cooper's Hill. He worked as a civil engineer in the Indian Public Works Department from 1898 to 1902 but left to concentrate on aviation.
Interest in astronomy
Influenced by his father, McClean was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer, especially interested in solar eclipses. He was a volunteer assistant on the August 30, 1905 solar eclipseSolar eclipse of August 30, 1905
A total solar eclipse occurred on August 30, 1905. -References:* * * *...
expedition to Palma, Majorca. McClean organized 2 astronomical expeditions: one to Flint Island
Flint Island
Flint Island is an uninhabited coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Southern Line Islands under the jurisdiction of Kiribati.-Geography:...
for the Jan. 3, 1908 solar eclipse
Solar eclipse of January 3, 1908
A total solar eclipse occurred on January 3, 1908. -References:*...
and the other to Port Davey for the May 9, 1910 solar eclipse
Solar eclipse of May 9, 1910
A total solar eclipse occurred on May 9, 1910. -References:...
; however, bad weather thwarted observations in both expeditions. He also accompanied the expedition organized by Sir Norman Lockyer to Vava'u
Vava'u
Vavau is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavau but put a little more effort into the former. Vavau rises 204 meters above sea level...
for the Apr. 28, 1911 solar eclipse
Solar eclipse of April 28, 1911
A total solar eclipse occurred on April 28, 1911. -References:* * Tonga Island, South Pacific...
. McClean made generous gifts to the Lockyer Observatory
Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium
The Norman Lockyer Observatory and Planetarium is a planetarium and a public access optical observatory in East Devon on the Jurassic Coast of South West England.- Location and instruments :...
.
Aviator
His first flying experience was in 1907 in a balloon race in Berlin and in December 1908 he flew with Wilbur Wright at Le Mans. At the start of 1909 he began a co-operation in developing heavier-than-air machines with the Short BrothersShort Brothers
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
. McLean owned the ground on which were built the aerodromes at Leysdown and then Eastchurch. He was awarded a Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate #21 after flying a Short Biplane at Eastchurch on 20 September 1910.
In February 1911 he offered to let both the Admiralty and War Office use the aircraft and airfield at Eastchurch to teach naval and military personnel to fly heavier-than-air machines. Although the War Office declined the Admiralty accepted and started to train the first naval aviators.
McClean also had an interest and was a pioneer in submarine photography, with the help of Hugh Spottiswoode he took some acclaimed photographs of the wreck of the SS Oceana just off the coast at Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
. In August 1912 he flew a seaplane between the upper and lower parts of Tower Bridge and underneath London Bridge.
In 1914 he joined the Royal Naval Air Service
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service or RNAS was the air arm of the Royal Navy until near the end of the First World War, when it merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps to form a new service , the Royal Air Force...
and carried out patrols in the English channel before becoming chief instructor at Eastchurch. He transferred to the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
when it was formed but he resigned in 1919. McLean was a founder member of the Aero Club of Great Britain later the Royal Aero Club
Royal Aero Club
The Royal Aero Club is the national co-ordinating body for Air Sport in the United Kingdom.The Aero Club was founded in 1901 by Frank Hedges Butler, his daughter Vera and the Hon Charles Rolls , partly inspired by the Aero Club of France...
and was chairman in 1923-24 and again from 1941 to 1944.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 1932.
Family and later life
McClean married Aileen Wale in 1918 and they had two daughters. Their elder daughter, Frances, married Sir Arthur Eliott of Stobs, 11th BaronetEliott Baronets
The Eliott Baronetcy, of Stobs in the County of Roxburgh, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 3 December 1666 for Gilbert Eliott. The third Baronet sat as Member of Parliament for Roxburghshire. The Eliott Baronets share a common early Ellot ancestry with the nearby Earls...
. Their younger daughter, Iona, married Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington. In 1932 McClean was appointed High Sheriff of Oxfordshire. He died on 11 August 1952 in London after a long illness. His name is listed on a memorial on the Isle of Sheppey commemorating thirteen pioneer aviators. The family of Sir Francis McClean donated his papers to the Fleet Air Arm Museum
Fleet Air Arm Museum
The Fleet Air Arm Museum is located north of Yeovil, and south of Bristol. It has an extensive collection of military and civilian aircraft, as well as models of Royal Navy ships, especially aircraft carriers. Some of the museum has interactive displays...
.
Honours and awards
- 3 July 1926 - In the King's Birthday Honours Lieutenant Colonel Francis Kennedy McClean is conferred the honour of a knighthood for services to aviation.
- 1932 – Appointed High Sheriff of Oxfordshire