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  • Author Author: bluescreen
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Did the Wright Brothers really invent powered flight?

bluescreen

History teaches that Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully performed the first motorized human flight on December 17, 1903.

wright brothers flight

 

But were they the first to do so?

 

For years, there has been an alternative theory about a little-known inventor in New Zealand named Richard Pearse. Proponents of Pearse hold that he successfully covered about 350 yards in his motorized airplane on March 31, 1902-- about a year and a half before the Wright brothers' famous experiments at Kitty Hawk.

image

 

Evidence to corroborate Pearse's accomplishments remain vague. There were only a handful of eyewitness accounts, and Pearse, himself, did not document his experiments very well. (Wikipedia accounts of Pearse are rife with "citation needed" tags.) Despite this, Pearse is recognized throughout New Zealand and Australia as one of true pioneers of early flight-- and as the true discoverer of powered flight by many. The national government of New Zealand has even celebrating his accomplishments by erecting state monuments and postage stamps in his honor.

 

imageimage

 

Have we been miscrediting the Wright brothers for inventing human powered flight all this time while forgetting about the true inventor of flight, Richard Pearse?


Tell us what you think in the comments below.

 

Thanks to for pointing this out. image

  • in reply to DAB

    in a out of the way location like New Zealand

    I might need to warn immigration about you ...

     

    The location where he did these experiments was relatively isolated and communications wasn't that great at the time, so apart from a desire by some people to publicly show their disasters/failures, some inventors would sooner perfect their design before telling the world.

     

    I don't think the country you live in should exclude you from being involved in creating new technologies.

     

    If it weren't for many New Zealanders even you Americans wouldn't be exploring space ie Sir William Pickering.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pickering_%28rocket_scientist%29

     

    Then there is Glenn Martin

    http://www.martinjetpack.com/

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Jetpack

     

    I think we are lucky many don't know New Zealand exists ... it provides an ideal "ignorance" filter.

     

    Mark

  • in reply to DAB

    Speaking of which, have you seen this?

     

  • The Wright Brothers had an open forum and open flight test.

    The publicity they gathered made sure that there were plenty of witnesses and documented flights.

     

    If Pearse did fly first, then he, then he deserves a mention, but since there is limited documentation I doubt that much will change from the official view.

     

    His accomplishment done in private and in a out of the way location like New Zealand works against him.

     

    Face it, most of the world did not even know New Zealand existed until after the Lord of the Rings movies.

     

    Out of mind, out of the record books..

     

    DAB

  • in reply to bluescreen

    Sagar Jethani wrote:

     

    I find the study of older technology fascinating. Steampunk is probably the best-known species of this kind of obsession, but it doesn't need to go back so far. I recently had a chance to see an old tube-driven radio, and could not look away. Something about old tech.

    The really, really great thing about old tech is that you can see how it works.  You look at an iPhone and there are a bunch of ICs and invisible software somewhere in there.  But it's not like a good old mechanical systems where you can see what the gears, rods, and levers do.

  • in reply to johnbeetem

    Nice find, John!

     

    I find the study of older technology fascinating. Steampunk is probably the best-known species of this kind of obsession, but it doesn't need to go back so far. I recently had a chance to see an old tube-driven radio, and could not look away. Something about old tech.