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Ella Pilcher

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178: 170:, farmland to the west of Glasgow, in the summer of 1895. By September of that year, taking advantage of the long university vacation, Ella and Percy had modified the Bat to the point where it would carry one of them aloft for 30 seconds, double that if towed by a rope. Percy did most of the test flying, but Ella took at least one tethered flight. They also worked on two other models, which did not turn out so well: the Beetle and the Gull. For the Gull, Ella managed to sew 300 square feet of sailcloth into the wings specified by Percy in less than a month. 159:
Street, Glasgow (the landlady at Byres Road objected to the birds and the models), and began constructing the aircraft in five sections. They used the best materials they could get with their limited funds: pine, sailcloth, steel plates, piano wire and bamboo. It was difficult to lay out the fabric in order to cut and sew it at home, and they were lent a room at Glasgow University by its principal, the physicist
33: 138:, who at 19 joined the army to pay for the schooling of his sisters. Percy was enrolled as a naval cadet at the age of 13 and upon graduation pursued an apprenticeship in the engineering department of a Glasgow shipyard. Ella went with Percy to Glasgow as his companion and housekeeper, while Ada Violet stayed south with Thomas. 190:
in the glider. She oversaw the installation and operation of a rope pulley across the valley from Percy's launch site, and was instrumental in the success of the day, in which Percy achieved impressive tethered and free flights. One of the scientists who attended, phonograph enthusiast and fellow of the
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closely, and made scale models of gliders which he would fly around the apartment. In early 1895 the siblings decided to make a full sized prototype of what they called a 'soaring machine'. Percy did the design, carpentry and tensioning. Ella was in charge of the fabric. They moved house to Kersland
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as his assistant in April 1896. Percy was given space at Maxim's flight test site at Eynsford in Kent to house and trial the Hawk. Ella helped Percy organise a demonstration of the Hawk on Sunday 20 June 1897 - Percy was hoping to find an investor to support him in developing and installing a motor
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Ella Pilcher appears with Percy and the gliders in over half of the photographs dating from 1895–6, which the siblings must have commissioned in order to send to the press. By the spring of 1896, the Pilchers had featured in a number of publications in Britain, the United States and Germany, though
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and husband of an Italian marchioness. He was in his sixties for most of his children's births and died in 1874. Sophia took Ella and her siblings Thomas, Ada Violet and Percy to Germany but then herself died only three years later. The orphans returned to England, the charges of the eldest brother
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She donated Percy's models, sketches and photographs to the Royal Aeronautical Society that year, and went on to contribute an article about him to the Aeronautical Journal in 1909. Over a decade later she corresponded with the society again in order to offer more material and information about
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The demonstration also saw a (possibly unplanned) flight by Dorothy Rose Pilcher, Ella's cousin, who was given a tow by Percy but then crashed into the cinematograph camera which had been set up to take stills of the glider in flight. Neither the aviator nor the apparatus was damaged.
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I hope I may be permitted to remark that Mr. Pilcher has been, fortunately, blessed with the possession of a sister, who not only acted as the presiding goddess of the tea-table on the present occasion, but actually made most of the wing surfaces with her own
238:), requesting membership on her own behalf. "I should not like our name to be taken off your lists. As I always helped my dear brother in his experiments, I am able to take great interest in the subject." Five weeks later, she was voted an honorary member. 153:
Ella supported her brother's passionate interest in aeronautics which, she remembered, he had had since childhood. At Byres Road they kept birds in order to observe them in flight and landing. Percy followed the experiments of German pioneer glider
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and a few others. Despite bad weather, Percy insisted on making a flight in the Hawk and suffered an accident. He died from his injuries three days later, Ella at his side. Within a month Ella had embarked for Cape Town to serve as a nurse in the
211:. At this point Ella probably stepped back from her role as Percy's collaborator, and may have begun training as a nurse. Nonetheless, she still accompanied Percy on his most important trial flights, and helped him prepare for lectures. 129:
to a Scottish mother, Sophia (née Robinson), and Somerset-born father, Thomas Webb Pilcher. Her father was on his second marriage, having had a previous life as curator of a British gallery in
234:, who had been a supporter of the Pilchers' gliding experiments and was de facto president of the Aeronautical Society of Great Britain (which was later renamed the 109:/4 - 19 May 1939) was a British pioneer aviator, and the first woman to fly in a glider in the British Isles. She co-created and flew in gliders designed by 261:. According to her niece, Ella was still running down hills in her seventies, teaching her great nephew to fly a kite, months before she died in 1939. 174:
only Percy was ever mentioned by name. They were working on a new model, the Hawk, which would remain their highest achievement in aeronautics.
163:, despite his friendly scepticism towards aeronautical progress. Ella was helped by Iris Biles, the daughter of the professor Percy assisted. 231: 145:, Glasgow, and were remembered by friends as bright, clever and attractive. Ella was, according to friends and family, a great singer. 360:
Interview notes with Thora Forrester taken by production assistant on a 1950 television documentary on Percy Pilcher. Privately held.
113:, her younger brother, in the 1890s and is considered to be the first woman who sewed wings. She was made an honorary member of the 422:"Letter from Ella Pilcher, October 31st 1899." Letter in ‘Pilcher letters’ file at the National Aviation Library, Farnborough, UK. 207:
While it did not yield an investor, the demonstration was impressive enough for Percy to start up a company with a colleague,
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Lecture notes in Percy and Ella's handwriting in Pilcher file at National Aviation Library, Farnborough, UK.
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She moved down to London when Percy was invited to join American-born arms magnate and aeronautical pioneer
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Ella married Colonel Edward C. Tidswell in the autumn of 1902, and accompanied him on his stationing in
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On her husband's retirement from military service, the couple moved to Jersey, where they lived at
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Aviation pioneers Ella and Percy Pilcher with their Hawk glider, Glasgow, 1896. Via Philip Jarrett.
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Ford, Lily (2024). "'Up Here I Must Seem Proper': Ella Pilcher and Early Aeronautics in Britain".
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Tidswell, Ella (1909). "The Work and Experiments of Percy S. Pilcher".
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Pilcher letters file at National Aviation Library, Farnborough, UK.
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They called this first glider the Bat, and began test flying it at
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Aviation pioneer Ella Pilcher, Glasgow c. 1895. Via Philip Jarrett.
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Archibald, Douglas (1897). "A New Experiment in Soaring Flight".
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In the late summer of 1899 another demonstration was planned, at
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in Leicestershire, for the benefit of prospective investor
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Mavor, Sam (1934). "Memories No. 4: A Pioneer of Flight".
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Another Icarus: Percy Pilcher and the quest for flight
254:Percy, whose legacy she feared was being forgotten 93:
First woman to fly in a glider in the British Isles
194:Douglas Archibald, mentioned Ella in his account: 454: 306: 230:Just weeks after Percy's death, Ella wrote to 31: 372: 431: 387: 176: 455: 342: 368: 366: 356: 354: 338: 336: 302: 300: 284: 280: 278: 276: 274: 65:19 May, 1939 (aged 73–74) 13: 141:Ella and Percy lived in a flat in 14: 509: 388:McKernan, Luke (21 August 2018). 363: 351: 333: 311:. Smithsonian Institution Press. 297: 271: 440: 425: 416: 407: 381: 1: 264: 241: 120: 103: 345:M&C Apprentices Magazine 100:Ella Sophia Gertrude Pilcher 7: 10: 514: 498:Royal Aeronautical Society 236:Royal Aeronautical Society 148: 115:Royal Aeronautical Society 478:British aviation pioneers 307:Jarrett, Philip. (1987). 125:Ella Pilcher was born in 89: 81: 73: 61: 42: 30: 23: 488:British women aviators 473:Aeronautical engineers 201: 192:Meteorological Society 182: 483:English glider pilots 347:. Summer 1934: 57–62. 287:Women's History Today 196: 180: 434:Aeronautical Journal 377:. June 29th 1897: 5. 220:John Henniker Heaton 209:Walter Gordon Wilson 232:Robert Baden Powell 390:"Icarus ascending" 183: 117:in December 1899. 375:Pall Mall Gazette 97: 96: 505: 447: 444: 438: 437: 436:. July 1909: 88. 429: 423: 420: 414: 411: 405: 404: 402: 400: 385: 379: 378: 370: 361: 358: 349: 348: 340: 331: 330: 304: 295: 294: 282: 259:St Brelade's Bay 108: 105: 35: 21: 20: 513: 512: 508: 507: 506: 504: 503: 502: 453: 452: 451: 450: 445: 441: 430: 426: 421: 417: 412: 408: 398: 396: 386: 382: 371: 364: 359: 352: 341: 334: 319: 305: 298: 283: 272: 267: 244: 225:Second Boer War 156:Otto Lilienthal 151: 123: 106: 69: 66: 57: 47: 38: 26: 17: 16:British aviator 12: 11: 5: 511: 501: 500: 495: 493:British nurses 490: 485: 480: 475: 470: 465: 449: 448: 439: 424: 415: 406: 380: 362: 350: 332: 317: 296: 269: 268: 266: 263: 243: 240: 150: 147: 136:Thomas Pilcher 122: 119: 95: 94: 91: 90:Known for 87: 86: 83: 79: 78: 75: 71: 70: 67: 63: 59: 58: 48: 44: 40: 39: 36: 28: 27: 24: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 510: 499: 496: 494: 491: 489: 486: 484: 481: 479: 476: 474: 471: 469: 466: 464: 461: 460: 458: 443: 435: 428: 419: 410: 395: 394:Luke McKernan 391: 384: 376: 369: 367: 357: 355: 346: 339: 337: 328: 324: 320: 318:0-85177-853-4 314: 310: 303: 301: 292: 288: 281: 279: 277: 275: 270: 262: 260: 255: 251: 250:, now Ghana. 249: 239: 237: 233: 228: 226: 221: 217: 216:Stanford Hall 212: 210: 205: 200: 195: 193: 188: 179: 175: 171: 169: 164: 162: 157: 146: 144: 139: 137: 132: 128: 118: 116: 112: 111:Percy Pilcher 101: 92: 88: 84: 80: 76: 72: 64: 60: 55: 51: 45: 41: 34: 29: 22: 19: 463:1860s births 442: 433: 427: 418: 409: 397:. Retrieved 393: 383: 374: 344: 308: 290: 286: 256: 252: 245: 229: 213: 206: 202: 197: 184: 172: 165: 152: 140: 124: 99: 98: 25:Ella Pilcher 18: 468:1939 deaths 187:Hiram Maxim 161:Lord Kelvin 107: 1863 74:Nationality 457:Categories 265:References 242:Later life 143:Byres Road 121:Early life 82:Occupation 327:923869578 56:, England 399:28 March 168:Cardross 149:Gliding 85:Aviator 77:British 325:  315:  248:Kumasi 199:hands. 127:Harrow 68:Jersey 54:London 50:Harrow 46:1863/4 401:2020 323:OCLC 313:ISBN 293:(9). 131:Rome 62:Died 43:Born 459:: 392:. 365:^ 353:^ 335:^ 321:. 299:^ 289:. 273:^ 227:. 104:c. 52:, 403:. 329:. 291:3 102:(

Index


Harrow
London
Percy Pilcher
Royal Aeronautical Society
Harrow
Rome
Thomas Pilcher
Byres Road
Otto Lilienthal
Lord Kelvin
Cardross

Hiram Maxim
Meteorological Society
Walter Gordon Wilson
Stanford Hall
John Henniker Heaton
Second Boer War
Robert Baden Powell
Royal Aeronautical Society
Kumasi
St Brelade's Bay






ISBN

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