The Invergordon Archive

Wight Pusher 'Hydroplane'

A Wight pusher 'hydroplane' landed on the River Tain in late 1914. The aeroplane soon became a centre of attention for the locals. For many people this would have been their first sight of an aeroplane.
The Wight probably came from the seaplane carrier HMS Ark Royal. Ark Royal operated two Wights in 1914, and had two large cranes to lift seaplanes to and from the water. It is known that this aeroplane also visited Fort George, so it is likely that the Ark was close by, probably in the Cromarty Firth.