Well, at least this is news to me.

[retread]

Similar to my post on Augustus Herring - here is another claim of mech-anical heavier that air flight that predates the Wright bros.


http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/pearsel.html

Any input on this? How about from the Kiwi's and Aussies- are you familiar with this or have I been living under a rock?

[AAC Cadet Leader]

I'll bet Jempie (Belgium) could tell us something about it. Jempie, where are you???

Or Rod Filan (Canadian).

Where you two been lately? B)

[jempie]

Hi!

I know this website and a lot of its content!
I have been in contact with Russel Noughton the passed years...
The first of flight ?

Well that's a long discussion...many claims indeed!

Where I remain????

Fighting an unequal fight with damned viruses, ad and spyware continiousely attacks!
They come in as a machinegun fire!

Disabling on regular moementsd each day my anti-virus scanner program, by times disabling my Firewall as well!
The attack are Windows/SR64/ a lettercombination.exe and "Featsl" for more! Problem is that that lettercombination (4 to 6 letters) changes cintiniousely from combination!It happens disabling my Antivirus scanner they get than through!

So most of my time I spent here (about 80-90 %) is going to try to get online !

I am also actif on other "Foria" and seen my PC problems (3 times went for it to a repair workshop to get it reloaded fully in as much months&#33 I have an enourmous backstand in answering on aeronautical questions...
In more not daring to mail my friends anymore due to my problems here!
Mainly I can work here only from 14 until 18 hrs!
My PC is not home but installed into the house of my son (I have here my homelibrary into 2 hobbyrooms&#33 Seen he lives here, I need to reduce my presence to give him enough privacy!

Detected today again those damned Porn.XXX files intruder programming in it!

Today my internet explorer was not functioning, took me hours to get it at work again and now I try to get my OUTLOOK e-mail programming at work again! "Don't react" I get!
However by means of Ineternet Explorer and "Webmail" on our internet provider page I could today consult the mails wich are into my mailbox!
There I can answer them too!
Some 3 weeks ago I needed even to go to an "Internet Cafe" to consult them and to answer them! Sofar it went! Seen I had to carry my PC to a repair shop to get reloaded it! But those attacks doesn't stop on it!

Thinks my correrspondents don't dare to contact me anymore seen my own PC problems! I can understand it!

VBR

Jempie

[Wind In The Wires]

I've read some of the limited amount of information available about Richard Pearse.

Without photographic documentation the eyewitness accounts are questionable and have the same weight as eyewitness accounts of Whitehead's or Herring's flights. The aeroplane may have bounced off the ground for 50 or 75 feet (I've "flown" a 4400 pound automobile farther than that). Without an immediate measurement of the wheel marks the distance could easily have stretched by a factor of at least 2 or more. After all, nobody had seen an actual aeroplane flight before.

On the other hand, the detail of the flights ending in hedges is the kind of thing that wouldn't appear without some basis in fact.

Here are some observations that lead me to believe Pearse's aeroplane was not capable of sustained controlled flight;

There doesn't appear to be enough wing area to provide the required lift at speeds less than 50 mph.

The airfoil is flat with a curve at the leading and trailing edges. This shape will provide lift at suitable angles of attack but not as much as the airfoil shapes we are more familiar with. In addition Pearse's airfoil would have suffered from a center of pressure that moved fore and aft quite a bit as the angle of attack changed.

The rudder and elevators are too close to the center of gravity to provide effective control.

The ailerons are too small and their location in the fore and aft middle of the wing would have caused sudden changes in their effectiveness as the slot between their trailing edges and the trailing edge of the wing opened and closed.

The propellor doesn't appear to have enough blade area.

I'm not saying that Pearse didn't fly but the only we will know for sure is for someone to build an exact replica and attempt to fly it.

[AAC Cadet Leader]

jempie Posted on Jun 25 2004, 10:25 AM

Thinks my correrspondents don't dare to contact me anymore seen my own PC problems!

Well, we'll still be here for you, jempie.


WITW,
Good analysis. And I even followed and comprehended it.

[retread]

Wind-in-the-Wires,
Good response. Regarding Pearse, the claim was not for controlled flight but rather for powered flight. The lack of control was recognized.Sort of like going for a ride on a motorized piece of plywood.At this time and with the exsisting evidence, or lack thereof, I suppose Pearse's motorized aerial demolition derby is relagated to myth. Although
intriguing.
Has anyone ever tried to recreate Herring's claim? It may be that his "powered" flight was the result of a good gust of wind when his c/a motor happened to be operating. Although from what is known of Herring any claim he made would be suspect to begin with.

["Junior"]

Hi Weldboy,

I'm a Kiwi (although I now live in Norway) and the story of Pearse is fairly common knowledge. I was certainly told it by my father and we learnt a little bit about it at school.

I suppose in typical understated Kiwi fashion NZers can't be bothered making a huge song and dance about it! There's probably a little bit of that "we'll let the yanks think what they want about their Wright boys but we know the truth"

I haven't read Pearse's biography but apparently it's very good.

Tim.