science · 31 March 1903 · 122 years ago
In 1903, New Zealander Richard Pearse (1877-1953) reputedly flew a powered heavier-than-air machine, some nine months before the Wright brothers' more famous and well documented flight. Pearse built a high-wing monoplane powered by his design of a petrol engine. Accounts vary, but his flight was probably 350 yards in the air, though uncontrolled, ending with the machine striking a large hedge. The aircraft was the first to use proper ailerons, instead of the inferior wing warping system that the Wright's used. Also, Pearse's machine had a modern tricycle undercarriage permitting takeoff without ramps or skids. However, his propeller was cruder than the Wrights'. Some sources date his first flight to 31 Mar 1902, and others later.
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