Name: Richard Pearse Age: (-)50 Nationality: Kiwi Claim to fame: The forgotten ‘pioneer’ of the first manned flight
OTHER than the kiwi, the only other thing that New Zealand is famous for is the disputed fact that sheep outnumber the human population of that Pacific nation. Well, there is that small detail about the land of kiwi also being the land of the first manned air flight.
For almost over a century, the world has credited the American Wright Brothers with the landmark achievement of manning the first controlled heavier-than-air aeroplane. However, if you are a proud New Zealander, you may hotly dispute that little piece of history. The four million-odd people of New Zealand say that it was one of their own, Richard Pearse, who actually flew the first controlled flight. Man, talk about rewriting the history books!
The case is simple.
Richard Pearse, a farmer “flew” an “aeroplane” over a distance of “330 feet” on “March 31, 1903”. Pearse’s original flight, in front of an audience exceeding not more than 20 people, culminated when his plane dove into a big thorny hedge.
If true, this means that Pearse managed his flight a good nine months before the Wright Brothers powered their flight at Kittyhawk, which led their way into the history books.
Pearse is known to have conducted his aeronautical experiments on his farm, near Waitohi, a small farming community in New Zealand’s South Island. However, his exploits with a bamboo-fitted plane have always been hotly contested.
Firstly, experts contend that Pearse did not fly the plane; it simply hoped 330 feet. And the date, March 31, is still a major bone of contention for historians. And how come the world never heard of him? Many encyclopaedias do not even have an entry in his name.
Anyway, all this did not stop thousands of aviation enthusiasts to converge on Waitohi last week to try and re-enact the original ‘feat’. Replicas of the original craft — a triangular frame of iron suspended beneath cloth-covered wings made of bamboo — were on display during the whole air extravaganza. However, attempts to get replicas off the ground did not succeed, as strong winds thwarted such efforts.
However, the question remains: who flew the first plane? If the Americans have it their way, then it will definitely be the Wright Brothers. Nevertheless, there will be a sizable number of four million people within the boundaries of New Zealand who would patriotically beg to differ.
OTHER than the kiwi, the only other thing that New Zealand is famous for is the disputed fact that sheep outnumber the human population of that Pacific nation. Well, there is that small detail about the land of kiwi also being the land of the first manned air flight.
