Programme One

In December 1903, two brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright made an achievement which was to change travel throughout the World; they made the first ever powered controlled flight in a heavier than air machine. Soon others would emulate their success, and here in Northern Ireland we have a proud record of involvement and achievement in Aviation throughout its first century.

Listen to the entire programme

Peter Jakab is Chairman of the Aeronautics Division at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, now home to the original Wright Flyer.

Listen - Peter Jakab

One of the most famous line-ups in early aviation: the picture was taken outside the Mussell Manor at Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey, England in early 1909, when the Wright brothers visited Shorts' works. Back row from left to right: Mr JDF Andrews; Oswald, Horace and Eustace Short; Frank McClean; Griffith Brewer; Frank Hedges Butler; Dr WJS Lockyer and Warwick Wright. Seated, left to right: JTC Moore-Brabazon, Wilbur Wright; Orville Wright, and the Hon. CS Rolls.

Of course man had flown long before the Wrights. The first recorded flight was the French Montgolfier balloon in 1783 and there were regular balloon ascents from Belfast's Botanic Gardens throughout the 19th century. In 1898 brothers Oswald and Eustace Short began manufacturing balloons at Battersea, a new company which would later have a huge impact on the economy of Northern Ireland. One of their customers was John Dunville, a celebrated balloonist from Holywood and member of the well-known family of whisky distillers.

LEFT: Visit by the Wright brothers to Shorts at Leysdown, Isle of Sheppey 4th May 1909 -- CENTRE: JTC Moore-Brabazon of Tara, one of the early aviation enthusiasts. He flew a Short No.2 on 30th October 1909, to win the Daily Mail's £1000 prize for the first flight in England of one mile in a closed circuit by an all-British combination of pilot, aircraft and engine. -- RIGHT: The Short Wright Biplane No.1 - based on Horace's sketches of the Wright Flyer, was the Short Brothers first attempt to build an aircraft. It was piloted by Frank McClean who ordered it in January 1909, the first aircraft order received by Shorts. It was built almost entirely of spruce, using rubberised Continental ballon fabric for the covering.

The Wrights continued to develop their aircraft in secret and it wasn't until 1908 that they demonstrated it in public in Europe. The Short brothers secured the British rights to the Wright Flyer aeroplanes, making their firm the first manufacturers of aircraft in the world. One of these 'planes was sold to Charles Rolls of Rolls-Royce fame, but sadly he was killed in it soon afterwards. Another was sold to J. T. C. Moore-Brabazon, a man of Irish descent who later became Lord Brabazon of Tara.

Listen - Lord Brabazon

Ireland also had its pioneers. One of the earliest was a carpenter from Co. Londonderry who built wings which were meant to simulate the wings of a bird. Needless to say he was unsuccessful and injured himself in the process. However another man who by 1908 was living in Londonderry later claimed to make the first powered controlled flight in Ireland. He was Joseph Cordner who, like the Wrights, ran a bicycle repair shop. Michael Clarke is an aviation historian who has been researching Cordner's claim.

Listen - Michael Clarke

LEFT: Harry Ferguson - the first man in Ireland to make a powered flight. On 31st December 1909, at Hillsborough, Co.Down, he travelled 130 yards in a monoplane he had built himself from plans in a magazine. Affectionately known as the 'mad mechanic', he is better known for his innovations in the design and development of agricultural machinery. --- CENTRE: Lilian Bland - the first woman in the world to fly, after designing and building a 'flying machine' Mayfly, which flew a quarter of a mile --- RIGHT: Lilian Bland in 'Mayfly'

However credit for the first powered controlled flight in a heavier than air machine goes to Harry Ferguson. Cherrie McIlwaine talks to Michael McCaughan, Keeper of Transport at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra, near Belfast, in the Flight Experience gallery, about Ferguson's aeronautical exploits and about his principal rival, Lilian Bland, who became the first woman in Ireland and probably the world - to design, build and fly her own aircraft.

Listen - Michael McCaughan

And linen was an important material for these early aeroplanes. Brenda Collins is Research Officer at the Irish Linen Centre in Lisburn.

Listen - Brenda Collins

Of Ireland's early aviators, Harry Ferguson gave up flying by 1912 and went on to greater fame and fortune with his agricultural tractor, Lilian Bland's father didn't approve of her flying activities, and persuaded her to give it up if he bought her a car. She did so and became Ford's first agent in the North of Ireland before marrying her cousin and emigrating to Canada.

Only Joseph Cordner kept up his passion for aviation, later buying a surplus First World War aircraft and taking people on pleasure flights around Coleraine and Portrush.

However in those early years of flying the public were entertained by air displays, with 'planes brought to Ireland by boat and flown by pilots from Britain. One early display was the Great Bangor Pageant held in the grounds of Bangor Castle in 1910. Two years later an air race was arranged from Dublin to the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society's showgrounds at Balmoral, but had to be abandoned due to bad weather, but such was the interest in it that air displays were held at the showgrounds on the following two Saturdays.

But these displays came to an abrupt end when a pilot was killed while heroically preventing his aeroplane from crashing into the crowd. Displays in Ulster resumed in the summer of 1914, but the outbreak of war later that year brought another temporary halt to flying. For the first time aviation was now to play its part in warfare, to the dismay of Wilbur and Orville Wright. According to Ernie Cromie, Chairman of the Ulster Aviation Society, as many young Ulstermen were going to their deaths in the battlefields, others were preparing for the first large-scale production of aircraft here.

Listen - Ernie Cromie

After the war ended, Ireland was heading for partition and soon the aerodrome at Aldergrove was in use as an RAF base. There had been huge strides in aircraft development during the war so it was not surprising that aviation should play its role when the King and Queen opened Northern Ireland's first Parliament, here at Belfast City Hall in June 1921, with the celebrated aviator Alan Cobham playing a leading role.

Colin Cruddas is archivist at the aerospace company named after him, Cobham PLC.

Listen - Colin Cruddas (Background)

Colin Cruddas/Parliament

Listen - Colin Cruddas (Parliament)

And it was Alan Cobham who the piloted the inaugural flights in and out of the first municipal aerodrome in the British Isles which was at Malone on the outskirts of Belfast. Ernie Cromie again.

Listen - Ernie Cromie

The flights out of Malone were primarily for carrying mail and newspapers, but passengers were also carried. The first lady passenger was Miss Sarah Ingram, Departmental Manageress of Easons. She made a diary of her flight.

Listen - Sarah Ingram

Listen - John Thompson

Mrs Gallagher, on whose property Amelia Earhart crash landed, later spoke to the BBC about the days events.

Listen - Mrs Gallagher

Amelia Earhart continued with her pioneering flights but sadly was lost in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world.

However, just a year after her arrival in Derry the North West experienced an even more spectacular event when General Italo Balbo and 24 flying boats of the Italian Air Force made a scheduled refuelling stop in Lough Foyle en route to the World Fair in Chigaco. John Thompson again.

Listen - John Thompson

Lord Londonderry with his wife, Lady Londonderry

And one prominent Ulsterman who had a vision of using either Lough Foyle or Lough Neagh as a flying boat base for trans-Atlantic flights was Lord Londonderry, Secretary of State for Air at Westminster between 1931 and 1935. Lord Londonderry entertained General Balbo at his Northern Ireland residence, here at Mount Stewart on the shores of Strangford Lough. His proposals for a flying boat base in Ulster were overruled by the Prime Minister, Lord Craigavon who favoured Foynes in the Irish Free State rather than the risks of the aircraft remaining in the air for another 20 minutes to reach Northern Ireland. However Lord Londonderry did give Ireland its first proper civil airport on his own land at Newtownards, in 1934. His daughter is the Lady Mairi Bury.

Listen - Lady Mairi

And Lord Londonderry wasn't the only member of his family to take an interest in aviation.

Listen - Lady Mairi

The first regular air services between Northern Ireland and Great Britain began in 1933, a year before the Ards Airport opened. They operated to Aldergove but quickly transferred to Ards. One of the main operators was Railway Air Services which was jointly owned by the four main British railway companies. The Belfast terminal was in the London Midland and Scottish Railway Company's hotel at its York Road station. Air passengers were conveyed, free of charge, to the airport by Daimler or Rolls-Royce. Those were the days! Jean Green was one of the first passengers to fly from the Ards Airport.

Listen - Jean Green

But Ards' role as Ulster's civil airport was to be short-lived. Undeterred by the failure of the Malone aerodrome, many key figures in Belfast were determined to have an airport within the city boundaries. Ernie Cromie again.

Listen - Ernie Cromie

Belfast Harbour Airport was opened by the wife of the British Prime Minister, Mrs Neville Chamberlain in March 1938 and the civil flights transferred there from Ards. However 18 months later her husband had a much more serious speech to make to the nation.

Britain was once again at war with Germany and once again a temporary halt was called to civil flying. Over the next six years Ulster, its airbases and its men and women would make an incalculable contribution to the war effort.

Listen to the entire programme

Flight through Time - a series of three programmes, was produced by Ian Sinclair with assistance from Jack Woods. Programme 1 was broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster on 4th October 2003.
Photographs appear by courtesy of Bombardier Aerospace ( formerly 'Shorts' )

Click here to go to programme 2 The war years 1939 - 1945.

Click here to go to programme 3 Aviation for business and pleasure.

Useful Web links:

• Ulster Aviation Society
• BBC News takes a look at 100 years of flight

Your Responses:

James Stringer - March '08
I would very much like to get in touch with Julia Wright with regard to Warwick Wright.
As well as organising a veteran and vintage vehicle display at Eastchurch in July 2009 (to celebrate the Centenary of man's first powered flight) I am also interested to find out more about Warwick's involvement with the Austin Motor Company, when in 1908 he and JTC Moore-Brabazon and a chap called Retza, drove one of three Austin 100hp cars in the Dieppe races.
One of the cars still exist (Gaydon, Warwickshire).
Jim Stringer (Vintage Austin Register)

Julia Wright - Nov '06
A bit late and I missed the programme, but am family of Warwick Wright as shown in the first photo, Warwick being part of the (less famous) English Wright brothers (Howard and Walter) who also designed, built and raced aeroplanes, cars and speedboats in the early 1900s. Warwick Wright Motors is the last remnant of this. If anyone knows of other family members, please get in contact!

Gerry Morgan - Aug '06
Aye and where does Nutts Corner Airfield come into this memoriably?

Sue Nunn - Aug '06
My husband's grandfather was JDF Andrews, owner of Muswell Manor. His name is Clive Nunn. He lives at Ballyduff Mill, Thomastown, County Kilkenny, Ireland. We would all love to know more.

Gary Brooks - Aug '06
I remember Fred Barham or Fred Bareham who was apprenticed to the Short bros he came out of retirement to show me the ropes on the planning of work process stock assembly planning 1959 1960
One of the old school. He was works manager at Shorts Rocheser building the "Sunderland" during the 2nd WW.

Amy Gillian Robhun - March '06
Where are the facts on Lilian Bland? We need 2 know them!

Frank McGurk, Carrigans, Co. Donegal
I enjoy your programme. keep up the good work. On the issue of flying, although I live in Donegal, I have a long relationship with Magilligan Point in Co. Derry, where my father bought a salmon fishery in the early fifties. I still retain a holiday home there, right on the beach. Close to Magilligan Point, lived two old men, who I remember very well, Willie and Johnny Boucher (pronounced 'Butcher').

They ran the fishery for the previous owner, George Leeke, MP. Back in the early days of aviation, Harry Ferguson was looking for a long stretch of ground to take off and land his flying machine, so he disasembled it and took it to Magilligan Point, where he aimed to use the miles of dead flat beach. According to Willie Boucher, Harry Ferguson took a flight and then said, "C'mon, young Boucher for a sail".

Willie duly obliged, he had been hanging around watching the proceedings. So Willie climbed aboard and off they went. Upon landing, however, the 'plane flipped and Willie sustained a broken ankle. He claimed the fame of being the first aircraft casualty in Ireland. I don't know the date of this flight, although it must be well documented.

I can't obviously testify to the truth or otherwise of this story, but Willie Boucher told me this himself on many occasions over a cup of tea in the wee house we stayed in, during the fishing season, known as the 'fisherman's hut'. This is the same fisherman's hut which, in early years, was the home of Mrs. Sweeney, who you referred to in your broadcast of the 18th December, Saturday last as having lived to 106 and lived at Magilligan Point and was reared under an upturned boat there as a child. I, too, was told this story many times.

The fisherman's hut was for a time, the home of Willie Boucher. During the war years, he was coastguard officer. This cottage and a couple beside it were belonging to the MP, George Leeke and his predecessors, which were used by his tenents who fished the salmon title for him. I only had it demolished a couple of months ago.