Lieutenant Colonel John Cyril Porte, (26 February 1884 – 22 October 1919) was a British flying boat pioneer associated with the First World War Seaplane Experimental Station at Felixstowe.
Early life and career
Porte was born on 26 February 1884 to Reverend John Robert Porte (1849–1922) TCD and Henrietta (née Scott) in Bandon, County Cork, Ireland. Reverend Dr. Porte served as Rector of St Peter's, Ballymodan, Bandon before moving to England with his family as Vicar of St Matthew's church, Denmark Hill in 1890. Rev. Porte's father, George Porte (1819–1892) was a Civil Engineer and master of Erasmus Smith School living in Dublin, a member of the Royal Irish Academy, Fellow of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland and founder member of the Dublin Microscopical Club.
Porte joined the Royal Navy in 1898 age 14, passing through before he was posted as a midshipman on the training brig in late September 1902. He served on before he was promoted to lieutenant in 1905. Porte transferred to the Royal Navy Submarine Service in 1906 receiving his training on before HMS Forth and duties on submarines, his first command was , beginning 1 January 1908. He served under Murray Sueter, a pioneer of submarines, airships and aeroplanes who encouraged Porte to join that branch of the service.
During 1908 he designed a glider in collaboration with Lieutenant Wilfred Baley Pirie (1888–1960). The glider tested 17 August 1909 from the north side of Portsdown Hill near Portsmouth. Launched using rails like the Wright Brothers, the event featured on the front page of Flight magazine. The aircraft was a staggered wing biplane flown by two pilots simultaneously using a system common to airships; one having control of the rudder and wing warping, the other control of the elevator. The use of staggered planes apparently preceded that of the Goupy. Both officers were attached to the submarine depot at Haslar.
In 1910 he joined for duties on a , taking over on 31 March 1910. It was during his service as a submariner that Porte contracted tuberculosis, being retired as unfit 25 October 1911 with the rank of Lieutenant, RN.
Porte learnt to fly by the end of 1910 using a Santos-Dumont Demoiselle that he built in his spare time; he was also assigned to HMS President in London for a flying course and gained his flying certificate (No. 548) with the Aero Club de France 28 July 1911, flying a Deperdussin monoplane at Reims airfield. Six days prior, Porte took part in the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain from Brooklands with the first British built 60hp Anzani Deperdussin monoplane, but suffered an unfortunate accident shortly after takeoff. He proved to be a gifted and natural pilot.
With Admiral Edmund Fremantle as chairman and Louis Béchereau as Technical Director of the Paris Deperdussin works acting as technical advisor, Porte was test pilot, and joint managing director of the British Deperdussin Company in April 1912 alongside Italian D. Lawrence Santoni, who was already well known in aviation circles and went on to found Savoia. They were the first to establish a British factory for the manufacture of a foreign aircraft; with Porte also as technical director and designer, Frederick Koolhoven joined them from France as chief engineer and works manager in the summer of 1912. Porte invested nearly all his money in the venture.
He flew Deperdussin aircraft in the Military Aeroplane Trials at Larkhill and air races at Hendon Aerodrome, where he became a popular figure with the weekend crowds, by now achieving a considerable reputation as a skilled pilot. About November 1912 Porte was a director of British Anzani alongside Captain John Crosby Halahan (former Royal Dublin Fusiliers and RFC), Waldo Ridley Prentice and Claude Scholfield, with Santoni as chairman. Halahan was manager of the Deperdussin Flying School at Hendon in 1913.
Porte tested the British Deperdussin Seagull float plane successfully at Osea Island about June 1913; around this time he was recovering from a serious operation to his jaw. During the collapse and liquidation of Deperdussin from about August 1913, Porte lost all his investments. Following he was employed by White & Thompson as a designer and test pilot.
He married Minnie 'Betty' Miller at St James's Church, Piccadilly on 16 August 1916.