Co-created and flew in gliders designed by her brother Percy Pilcher in the 1890s

In early 1895 the Pilcher 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 began constructing the aircraft in five sections using the best materials they could get with their limited funds: pine, sailcloth, steel plates, piano wire and bamboo. Th They called this first glider the Bat, and began test flying it in the summer of 1895.at Cardross, farmland to the west of Glasgow, By September of that year, 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.

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Category:
Aviation

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
N/A

Co-Inventor:
none