World War I British Training Missions in Jupiter Inlet
To assist a
group of visiting aviators, the hotel (The Carlin House) even hoisted
an aviation windsock to the top of the flag pole as requested by the
U.S. Government. The best available information from the family, as told
to me over the years, indicates that this was done in the fall and
winter of the year 1916-17. During that period, a group of British
aviators used the Jupiter River and the Loxahatchee basin as an advanced
training area for small sea planes. The group consiste
d of nine people
and three planes with a pilot, copilot, and a mechanic assigned to each
machine. Because there was no extra room at the local U.S. Government
Reservation or the Carlin House, the group was quartered in a private
home belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Walter Savage. I understand that the
Savages had a contract to provide the necessary food and lodgings to the
group, a job which they enjoyed very much. The Savage home was built by
Mr. Armour who was the second keeper of the Jupiter Lighthouse.
Ironically, when the Savages moved in to this new home, for some unknown
reason, they nicknamed it "Fort Dixie" which was quite appropriate when
the aviators arrived.
These
planes were small by today's standards and were single-engine powered,
high-winged biplane sea planes. They had only two seats in the
boat-shaped main hull which was below the two wings and the motor. At
the tip of each wing there was a small pontoon. The markings were those
of the Allied Planes of WWI; two circular targets on the wings and wide
vertical red, white and blue stripes on the rudder.
The
daily practicing program for this partial air squadron was to make many
landings and take-offs from two places. The wide area operation was
done from the region of the river west of the F.E.C. bridge. The tight
area take-offs plus landings mere east of this bridge and this is where
the wind sock on the dock of the Carlin House came into play. When they
took off and landed in the tight, area they were guided by the wind
direction as indicated by the hotel dock wind-sock. The area west of the
bridge was so much larger that a wind direction gauge was not needed.
During the time that these aviators were using the
Jupiter area, the inlet was closed and it remained closed for the
duration of their stay. With the inlet closed, the planes wars parked,
most of the time, on the sand on the river side of the beach, where
water would have been if the inlet wets open. Also, to protect
themselves from the intense tropical sun which they were not used to,
the group erected a number of tents in the same location.
Whenever
Grandmother baked pies or other goodies for the hotel, she would make a
few extra for them. One of the Carlin girls would deliver the aromatic
basket by rowboat.
The
distance from the hotel to the beach where the planes were kept was not
far. The British group enjoyed these favors very much. In an effort to
show their gratitude they offered, many times and unsuccessfully to give
the girls a ride. The ladies ware more than a little apprehensive. Even
knowing that during the entire period that the group was here they had
only one crash, without injury; for them even once was too much.
I
don't believe that the make of these planes was ever mentioned. All
that I remember being said about them was that they wars of British
manufacture. My guess is that they were a Navy version of the popular
WWI British Jenny. (See picture text for more information.) Although it was a lot quieter around the
river, the family and the people at the Carlin House missed the flying
group when they left. It would not surprise me if the men of that
squadron missed the people and the weather they were leaving, too.
Town Hall... 
