Microlight Aircraft of New Zealand - Richard Brett's Twin Pusher Biplane

In my earlier post on Pete James’ powered Easy Riser microlight, I quoted Pete as saying that “he thinks he was the first to fly a powered microlight aircraft in New Zealand and that was in late 1977 although he does know of another guy who was experimenting with powered microlights at Raglan around the same time”. 

After quite a bit of sleuthing it turns out that the guy at Raglan was Richard (Dick) Brett who had built his own design of microlight that was pretty amazing for that time (around 1977).  Of course that was at the time when microlight aircraft did not have to be registered and CAA didn’t really know what to do with them. 

Richard Brett came from England in 1919 when he was 16 and studied at Flock House near Bulls.  He later married during the depression and the family moved to the East Coast where he helped with building a mill.  He was a self trained engineer and blacksmith and he served during WW2 with the RNZAF as a driver/mechanic.  He was interested in aircraft early on after the war and in Gisborne in the early 1950s he built a gyro glider that was registered ZK-GAO in November 1954.  It was the first gyro glider to be registered in New Zealand.  I was particularly interested in the rotors which were built up like an aircraft wing with a spar and many ribs – this was pioneering stuff.  It is listed in the CAA records as a Rotating Wing Glider.  A gyro glider is towed behind a car on a tow rope after the rotor blades are first manually rotated.  However due to pilot error (there was no-one to teach the pilot how to fly a gyro glider back then), ZK-GAO was badly damaged on one such tow (maybe its first tow?) when the blades hit the ground and it was written off and cancelled from the register in July 1957. 

Richard Brett later moved to Raglan where he built his second flying machine in the mid 1970s.  Remember this was in the very early days of microlight aircraft and I think it is pretty remarkable what he came up with.  At that time people like Pete James were going down the route of fixing an engine onto an existing hang glider design which was probably more likely to succeed but Richard Brett really pushed the boat out! 

The aircraft he came up with was like a small regular taildragger but it was a biplane with twin pusher motors!  I understand these engines were Briggs and Stratton 2 stroke lawn mower engines and you can certainly see in one of the photos that they blew a lot of smoke!  I am not sure what he covered it with but I have heard a report that it was quite loose but tightened up in the sun! 

The history of the aircraft flying is a bit hazy.  I know it was assembled at Te Kowhai sometime in the late 1970s, and attempts were made to fly it.  It did make some hops in ground effect as I understand and possibly ended up in a hedge.  Can anyone add anything more to this? 

Richard Brett’s twin engined pusher biplane microlight at Raglan in the late 1970s I think.

An engine start of one of the 2 stroke Briggs and Stratton engines.  That is Richard Brett in the blue jersey.  It is a pity that we don’t have a better photo of him.

I have contacted Richard Brett’s family and they have lost track of what eventually happened to the microlight.  Never the less this was a pioneering attempt at very early microlight flying in New Zealand, and Richard Brett deserves recognition for his work. 

Thanks to Dale and Dave Brett, and Graeme Stratton for their help with this post, and for the photos.