Neville Usborne was the supervisor of construction and designated Captain of The Mayfly. He went on to fly other non-rigids and in 1914 was made Commander of RNAS Kingsnorth and in August 1915 was appointed Inspector Commander of Airships at the Admiralty.
As a countermeasure to German Zeppelin bombing raids, Commander Neville Usborne and Squadron Commander de Courcy Ireland of RNAS Great Yarmouth devised an experimental system that combined airship and airplane technology. Their idea was to suspend a B.E.2c aircraft beneath an airship envelope, allowing the craft to ascend rapidly and patrol like an airship. Once a Zeppelin was sighted, the airplane could detach and engage in pursuit.
Initial tests were carried out in August 1915, followed by a full trial on 21 February 1916. Tragically, the experiment ended in disaster. Shortly after takeoff from RNAS Kingsnorth, with Usborne and Ireland aboard, the hybrid craft climbed to around 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Suddenly, the envelope lost pressure and collapsed, breaking the suspension cables. The aircraft dropped nose-first, then flipped, throwing Ireland from the cockpit—he fell to his death. Usborne remained with the stricken plane until it crashed into Strood railway station’s goods yard, where he was also killed.