Richard Pearse Timeline

1877- 3 December 1877 Richard William Pearse was born. He was born in Waitohi flat, Temuka. He was one out of nine children that his parents had. Richards father was a farmer while his mother's job was unknown. His family was cultured with music as they were an orchestra, Richard played the cello

1898 - Instead of going to study engineering in Canterbury college, his parents had given him use of a nearby 100-acre farm block as they couldn’t afford to send him to college. He built a workshop on the land, designed his own forge and lathe. He spent most of his time inventing gadgets

1899 - There was evidence that he was looking into ideas for powered flight.

1902 - His first patented invention was a new form of bicycle, though it wasn’t his interest. He was very interested in creating something that could fly instead of something that worked on land. Through Scientific American he was keeping touch with what inventions were made overseas. He had also built his first two-cylinder petrol engine. Using bamboo, tubular steel, wire and canvas he had built a monoplane. It resembled a modern Micro-light with its appearance. In that same year he had made his first public flight attempt down Main Waitohi Road. Around 50 Meters he had crashed on top of his own gorse fence even though no details were recorded. Later he had written that he did not achieve proper flight and also didn’t beat the american Orville brothers who had flown on 17 December 1903

1903 - Eyewitnesses testimonies that on march 31st was his first attempt at flying. He kept trying, achieving many further powered take offs or long hops which were all witnessed. None matched the description of a true flight.

1906 - He had patented his aircraft to be able to fly further. His first aircraft was a monoplane with wing flaps and a tricycle undercarriage with a steerable nose wheel and a propeller with variable-pitch blades driven by a petrol engine.

1911 - He had shifted to South Otago when he had failed as a farmer and was treated unkindly by most of his neighbours. He harmed at Loudens Gully near Milton. There he thought of original farm equipment.

1917 - Richard was conscripted into the Otago Infantry in May.

1918 - He was sent overseas in January but illness had prevented him from seeing any action and he returned to New Zealand in October later that year.

1921 - Pearse had moved to Christchurch where he had built three houses.

1930 - In a garage workshop in the house in Woolston he had set out to create his second aircraft, which was his Utility Plane.

1943 - He applied for a patent and it was approved in 1949. Constructed in absolute secrecy, Pearse’s plane had some of the main features of the Harrier jump jet, a tilting engine to allow for vertical take-off and landing. Airplane companies didn’t show that much interest and Pearse became bitter. 

1951 - He became increasingly paranoid and was admitted into Sunnyside Mental Hospital.

1953 - On the 29th of July Richard William Pearse passed away due to a heart attack, he had never married.