HESSE AND FRIENDS PREPARE MACHINE FOR TAKE-OFF; TAKE-OFF ATTEMPT; NEIGHBOURS LOOK ON AND COMMENT; INTERVIEW WITH INTREPID AVIATOR. (SOF)



TRANSCRIPT: HESSE: "I'D LIKE TO DEMONSTRATE MY MAN-POWERED AIRCRAFT WHICH I'VE NAMED THE "FLYING COFFIN" AS MY WIFE THINKS THIS COULD BE THE DEATH OF ME, WHICH I HOPE IT ISN'T."



HESSE: "THE GROUND'S BIT UNEVEN ..."



NEIGHBOUR: "IT'S A BIT LIKE A CONCORD ..."



QUESTION: "MR. HESSE, WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BUILD THIS AEROPLANE?"



HESSE: "I'VE HAD THE IDEA IN MY MIND EVER SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER AND I'VE JUST REALLY GOT ROUND TO DOING THE JOB NOW."



QUESTION: "AND NOW YOU'VE ASSEMBLED IT IN YOUR GARDEN, DO YOU THINK IT WILL TAKE OFF?"



HESSE: "OH, I'VE GOT EVERY HOPE OF AT LEAST LEAVING THE GROUND. BUT THEN, KEEPING HIM IN THE AIR IS ANOTHER THING ALTOGETHER ISN'T IT?"



QUESTION: "HOW WILL YOU GET IT OUT OF THE GARDEN?"



HESSE: "THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION, BUT I'M AFRAID THE RUNWAY ... I MIGHT HAVE TO GET IT RUNNING OVER THE ROOF. EH?"




Initials JDR/V/BOB/SC



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: DESPITE THE FACT F AIRCRAFT FLYING AT TWICE THE SPEED OF SOUND, THE DREAM OF MAN FLYING BY HIS OWN STRENGTH PERSISTS. TO ENCOURAGE THE EFFORTS OF INVENTORS, THE ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY HAS OFFERED A PRIZE OF GBP10,000 STERLING (24,000 DOLLARS) FOR THE FIRST SUCCESS, AND AN ELDERLY ENGLISHMAN HAS JUST COMPLETED A MACHINE WHICH HE BELIEVES WILL WIN HIM THE PRIZE.

THE WOULD-BE FLYER IS MR. LESLIE HESSE, WHO LIVES IN THE ESSEX TOWN OF HADLEIGH. THOUGH HE IS 58-YEARS-OLD, HIS AGE HAS NOT DISCOURAGED HIM HIS PLANS TO FLY HIS BICYCLE TO WIN THE ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY PRIZE MONEY.

BEFORE HE MAKES HIS ATTEMPT, HOWEVER, A PRIMARY DIFFICULTY HAS TO BE OVERCOME ... THE WINGS OF HIS MACHINE WILL NOT FIT THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE, AND SO FOR THE MOMENT IT IS CONFINED TO THE GARDEN WHERE IT WAS BUILT.

ASSUMING THIS PROBLEM IS OVERCOME, MR. HESSE THEN HAS TWO OTHER PROBLEMS. HE MUST GET THE MACHINE INTO THE AIR, AND THEN GET IT DOWN AGAIN.

AS SOON AS MR. HESSE DOES EXTRICATE THE MACHINE FROM HIS GARDEN, HE'LL TRYING TO FLY IT FROM HARROW WEALD AERODROME.