Aircraft [Richard Pearse Utility Aircraft/ Convertiplane]
Maker and role
Richard Pearse, Maker
Production date
1933-1953
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
1964.134
Maker
Description
Two-seater monoplane with hybrid propeller - rotor mounted at front. Propeller has variable pitch and engine could operate as either 2-stroke or 4-stroke. Aeroplane has a tubular metal structure with a fabric covering. Fabric is a light canvas with a coat of paint. Fabric remains on proper left wing, fuselage and cabin. Aeroplane has 3 wheels for take-off and landing - 2 at front and one at the back. Controls inside cockpit for engine, foot pedals for working rudder. Tail section can fold forward.
Brief History
This aircraft was built by New Zealand inventor, Richard Pearse. Known as the Utility Plane or Convertiplane, the concept behind this design was that it would be an aircraft-helicopter which could land and take off from all types of terrain - thus removing the need for landing strips or aerodromes. This concept is known as V/STOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing).
The Utility Plane was a labour of love for Pearse, who worked on this aircraft for several decades. Its distinctive features include the tilting engine, a variable pitch propeller, wingtip control flaps, a folding tail with ground brake, and a sliding door. Pearse filed a patent (no. 87637) for this aircraft in November 1943 that was granted in 1948. He described the invention as "an aeroplane that can ascend and descend in very restricted areas, suitable for private individuals independent of aerodromes... This hybrid aircraft which is a true aeroplane while in flight, can be instantly turned into a helicopter for hovering or landing vertically..."
Following Pearse's death in 1953, executors of his estate gave the Utility Plane to the Canterbury Aero Club. It was stored in a storage shed, in a poor state. Some years later, aviator and collector, George Bolt, sought out the Utility Plane and worked to bring it to Auckland. It became a part of the MOTAT collections in 1964, the year MOTAT opened to the public, and one year after Bolt's death. During the 1970s the Utility Plane was restored by Air New Zealand's engineering apprentices.
The Utility Plane was a labour of love for Pearse, who worked on this aircraft for several decades. Its distinctive features include the tilting engine, a variable pitch propeller, wingtip control flaps, a folding tail with ground brake, and a sliding door. Pearse filed a patent (no. 87637) for this aircraft in November 1943 that was granted in 1948. He described the invention as "an aeroplane that can ascend and descend in very restricted areas, suitable for private individuals independent of aerodromes... This hybrid aircraft which is a true aeroplane while in flight, can be instantly turned into a helicopter for hovering or landing vertically..."
Following Pearse's death in 1953, executors of his estate gave the Utility Plane to the Canterbury Aero Club. It was stored in a storage shed, in a poor state. Some years later, aviator and collector, George Bolt, sought out the Utility Plane and worked to bring it to Auckland. It became a part of the MOTAT collections in 1964, the year MOTAT opened to the public, and one year after Bolt's death. During the 1970s the Utility Plane was restored by Air New Zealand's engineering apprentices.
Media/Materials
Other name
Aeroplane-Helicopter
Convertible Aircraft
Convertiplane
Aeroplane
Helicopter
Convertible Aircraft
Convertiplane
Aeroplane
Helicopter
Collection
Credit Line
Richard Pearse. 1933-1953. Aircraft [Richard Pearse Utility Aircraft/ Convertiplane], 1964.134. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
On display?
On display
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