You can be forgiven if you do not know who Percy Pilcher was. He was a British 19th-century aviation pioneer who was born in England and worked in Scotland. He has an important place in the early history of aviation – which was close to being much more significant if it were not for his untimely death.

Developing hang gliders in Scotland

Percy Pilcher was born in Bath in England in January 1867. His early years (from just 13 years old) saw him serving in the British Royal Navy, then later becoming an apprentice engineer working at the shipyards in Glasgow, Scotland.

His interest and work in aviation began in 1891, after he became a lecturer at Glasgow University, teaching naval architecture and engineering. This was obviously very early days in aviation, years still before powered flight began. There was plenty of experimentation and work with gliders and flight, however, and he became involved in this.

He built his first glider, the “Bat,” in 1895. After partnering with the experienced US aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal (often referred to as the “father of aviation” with his successful first glider flights from 1981), he went on to produce three more gliders.

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Pilcher with one of his early gliders. Photo: Getty Images

His most successful glider was the “Hawk,” which he developed by 1986, and set the distance record for flight (of 250 meters) when flown in England. The Hawk was made of fabric, bamboo, and wire (with some of the manufacturing and assembly being done by Percy’s sister, Ella Pilcher. It had a wingspan of 7.51 meters and a total length of 5.64 meters.

A vision for powered flight

As well as gliders and wing design, Pilcher was interested too in powered flight. He designed a triplane that he intended to power with a small combustion engine. Such an aircraft never flew, although his proposal was more than just ideas. He did significant work on engine possibilities. He worked with fellow engineer Walter Gordon Wilson on engine design (for both vehicles and aircraft), which led to the formation of the Wilson-Pilcher Company.

Under Wilson’s charge, and after the death of Pilcher, the company produced its first automobile in 1900 and went on to produce several more. It was taken over by Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd in 1904 (later to become part of Vickers-Armstrongs Limited).

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One of the Wilson-Pilcher cars in the early 1900s. Photo: Public domain via Wikimedia

Unfortunate death in a glider accident

It is reported that Pilcher completed his triplane prototype. However, before he was due to demonstrate it to the public for the first time, the engine developed crankshaft problems. The demonstration was on September 30th 1899. Instead of demonstrating the triplane, he instead flew the Hawk glider. Sadly, in the wet weather, the aircraft's tail snapped (probably due to the saturated fabric). The glider crashed, and Pilcher was killed.

Pilcher monument
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The monument in Leicestershire marks Pilcher’s fatal crash site. Photo: Mat Fascione via Wikimedia

Could he have beaten the Wright Brothers?

It is certainly an interesting possibility. Pilcher was undoubtedly ahead of many others working on powered flight. He had seen previous success with gliders, and was well-supported in his development.

According to historian Robert Jeffrey, who has published a book looking at the history of aviation in Scotland (“Scotland’s Wings,” released in 2022), Pilcher could have gone on to beat the Wright Brothers to the first successful powered flight. They flew the Wright Flyer in December 1903, four years after Pilcher was planning to try.

Mr. Jeffrey says of Pilcher (as reported by the Scottish Daily Express):

"On his drawing board at that point was a tri-plane, with a little engine he thought he could attach to it. That was his way forward. He was well ahead of the Wright brothers. Percy Pilcher could have beaten the Wright Brothers.”

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Photo: Getty Images

This idea is supported by research carried out in the early 2000s. A study at Cranfield University in the UK looked at the designs for Pilcher’s powered triplane and concluded that, with some modifications, it would have been workable.

In collaboration with a BBC documentary, a team constructed a working replica of the aircraft. This included some design changes to the wing and control surfaces in particular, and it achieved sustained flight. In testing, the longest flight lasted one minute and 25 seconds – longer than the 59 seconds the Wright Brothers' longest flight lasted.

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Restored glider in Scotland

After the crash, the damaged Hawk glider was given to the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain. It has since been restored and is on display at the National Museum in Edinburgh, Scotland.

These early pioneering days of aviation are fascinating times. Had things worked out differently for Pilcher, early history could have been different. Feel free to discuss his life and work further in the comments.