By the time the Wright brothers flew their powered aircraft, Richard Pearce had apparently made four flights in total, the later flight covering a distance of some 1000 yards and only ending when his engine began to overheat requiring a precautionary landing.
Pearce remained modest about his achievements, and while he patented his aileron control system, he did not seek notoriety, later stating that he was quite happy for the Wright brothers to claim the glory for that first flight as he did not claim ‘controlled flight’.
Pearce was so intelligent and forward thinking that in some people eyed it put him firmly out side what was considered ‘normal’ at that time, and he spent the last two years of his life committed to Sunnyside Mental Hospital.
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