Target Drones and Harry Ferguson Tribute Flights – An Unlikely Aviation Legacy | Season 5 – Episode 25
Wheels, Wings Mar 28, 2025
We journey back to 1980, when aviation enthusiast Ernie Patterson played a key role in the Ferguson Festival in Newcastle, County Down. The event honoured Harry Ferguson—the first Irishman to design, build, and fly his own aircraft.
Ferguson made history on August 8, 1910, with a three‐mile flight along Newcastle’s beach that earned him a £100 prize. At the 1980 festival, Ernie took to the skies in a Quicksilver microlite styled after Ferguson’s original plane, powered by a McCulloch single-cylinder two stroke engine developed in the 1970s by Short Brothers’ missile division in Belfast.
ERNIE PATTERSON
Ernie Patterson has had a lifelong interest in aviation, learning to fly conventional aircraft at the Ulster Flying Club in Newtownards in the 1970s. He got into hang gliders when they appeared on the scene in the 1970s and enjoyed the flying like a bird experience with the wind in his face.
FERGUSON THE AVIATOR
Harry Ferguson began building his own aircraft in 1909, making his first successful flight on December 31st that year at Hillsborough Park, County Down. Over time, he built several versions, though repeated crashes destroyed them.
To spur innovation, the Newcastle Town Committee offered a £100 prize for the first three-mile flight. Ferguson was the sole competitor. His initial attempt on July 23, 1910—along the sands of Dundrum Bay—was hindered by mechanical issues and poor weather. But on August 8th he succeeded, cementing his place in aviation history. After a serious crash in 1912, he quit flying but later revolutionised agriculture with his hydraulic three-point linkage, the Ferguson Formula 4×4, and other breakthroughs.
RE-ENACTMENT FLIGHT
The 1980 festival was planned as a tribute to the historic 1910 flight and to celebrate Ferguson’s broader achievements. Organiser Bill Martin envisioned a community event involving local farmers, vintage tractor enthusiasts, and flying and hang-gliding clubs. Meanwhile, Ernie Patterson was busy constructing a microlite—a powered Quicksilver hang glider echoing Ferguson’s design. He wondered if he could recreate the historic route, and his sponsors at Ross Cochran (known for Ross’s Belfast Ginger Ale) quickly embraced the idea.
QUICKSILVER MICROLITE
Ernie’s project began as a foot-launched hang glider with a single-surface wing that now needed an undercarriage for both engine and pilot. Flight control relied on weight shift: the pilot adjusted pitch by moving forward or backward in a suspended seat while cables attached to the sides of the seat running through pulleys on the wings and tailplane managed steering. In this design, Ernie wasn’t just flying the machine—he became part of it.
ENGINE TESTING
Finishing the aluminium-steel undercarriage was straightforward, but engine choice proved challenging. Initially opting for a kart engine, Ernie consulted Grange Karting in Newtownards for vital parts—a go-kart axle for the propeller shaft, bearings, a centrifugal clutch, and a custom exhaust. After building five different setups around the McCulloch 101B and experimenting with drive systems, he finally achieved the performance he needed.
SHORTS MISSILE DIVISION
Ernie’s engine story is remarkable. In Belfast, Short Brothers—later acquired by Bombardier and Spirit AeroSystems—once operated a missile division. In the 1970s, they built missiles and tested radio-controlled target drones over the sea. These drones, with a ten-foot wingspan and powered by a McCulloch engine turning a 19-inch propeller, were built to be expendable. Their simple setup provided just enough thrust for lightweight, unmanned targets.
MCCULLOCH ENGINE
After enquiries, Ernie accessed the missile division at Short Brothers on Montgomery Road, discovering they were developing a single-cylinder engine to replace the McCulloch engine for target drones—they had several new units McCulloch engines in stock. Seizing the opportunity, he purchased a few engines. However, the basic drone configuration wasn’t enough for a 30-foot wingspan aircraft carrying a pilot. Replacing the small 19-inch propeller with a larger four-foot aluminium composite one, Ernie capped the engine at around 10,000 rpm for reliability. A messy chain-drive was replaced by a cleaner timing belt setup with a centrifugal clutch to reduce vibrations. Anti-vibration mounts further refined the installation, allowing the engine to deliver about 80 pounds of static thrust.
EXHAUST
Ernie’s local karting shop designed a custom tuned exhaust that boosted static thrust from 80 to 127 pounds, shortening take-off and improving climb rate. With the aircraft weighing 112 pounds and Ernie about 150 pounds, the power-to-weight balance was ideal. A motorcycle-style twist grip controlled the throttle, and an underslung, shaft-driven engine mounted above the pilot’s head simplified maintenance.
FIRST FLIGHT
For the first test, Ernie and his crew loaded the wing and undercarriage onto a Daihatsu jeep and hauled the microlite to Tyrella Beach, County Down—a wide, flat stretch at low tide ideal for take offs. Ernie’s modest goal was to lift a few feet and fly the length of the beach. However, rain turned the sand to slurry; the front wheel splashed sand and water into his face, and the aircraft couldn’t build enough speed. Frustrated but undeterred, the team regrouped.
On a second attempt, a new mudguard on the nose wheel improved visibility. After several taxi runs, Safety Officer Chris Simmons suggested raising the nose to increase the angle of attack. By shortening the undercarriage cables incrementally—and with an improvised rope fix—the Quicksilver lifted cleanly at 28 mph. Ernie later recalled, “The Wright Brothers must have felt this way. It was a beautiful feeling—flying in the rain with the sand sliding beneath me.”
FINAL PREPARATIONS
As the festival’s opening day, July 5th 1980, approached, media interviews, photoshoots, and a robust PR campaign by Ross’s heightened excitement. On July 4th the Newcastle Town Committee held a press conference at the Slieve Donard Hotel. A local boatbuilder had constructed a full-size replica of Ferguson’s 1910 aircraft—a masterpiece displayed alongside Ernie’s Quicksilver. While the replica featured a heavy 36 hp J.A.P. V8 engine weighing 320 pounds, the 112-pound Quicksilver, skinned in modern Dacron, underscored the contrast in eras.
FESTIVAL FLIGHT
Ernie was scheduled to fly at 12:30 p.m., but a forecast of strong north westerly winds (25 mph) cast doubt on conditions. Still, he and his crew assembled the microlite at Dundrum Bay. Gusty winds over dunes 50–75 feet high produced crosswinds and turbulence. As the team completed checks—with wind updates from Bertie Kennedy and careful positioning by Martin “Bionic” Bates—the call to fly finally came.
The McCulloch 101B roared to life. Ernie donned white overalls reminiscent of Ferguson’s 1910 look and took his seat. His initial short hop, despite rollercoaster-like turbulence, proved steady and responsive. Climbing steadily, he set course toward Newcastle beach, about three miles away. He vividly recalled the scene—sunlight glinting off the sea, blue water streaked with white, and the Daihatsu jeep dashing along as the crew scrambled to keep pace.
On the ground, communication was chaotic—without a radio, everyone acted on instinct. Ernie’s wife Phyllis took the wheel while the two Martins and Bertie scrambled aboard, determined to follow the soaring microlite.
PERFECT DAY
Ernie recounted landing at Newcastle: “I flew along to Central Promenade, where a crowd had gathered. I closed the throttle at 100 feet and glided down as gently as sliding into bed. Taxiing toward the spectators, I wondered, ‘What now?’ The loudspeakers drew me in; I cut the engine and rolled to a halt.” Bill Martin then appeared with Harry Ferguson’s daughter, Mrs Betty Sheldon (now living on the Isle of Wight), who declared, “That was the most exciting thing I have seen in a long time!” She presented a £100 cheque—echoing the prize given to her father 70 years earlier. Five light aircraft landed, and a Tiger Moth dazzled with aerobatics before taking off as the tide encroached.
FERGUSON PARADE
The Quicksilver microlite featured in the Festival Parade, mounted on a lorry provided and decorated by Ross’s. Leading the parade was the impressive Ferguson replica with its wide wings, followed by the Quicksilver drawing applause as it kept formation. At the end, as Ernie’s crew dismantled the float, onlookers marvelled at the lightweight machine that had retraced a historic flight. Reflecting on July 5, 1980, Ernie summed it up: “The ancient dream of flight still stirs us, and now the era of lightweight, affordable personal aircraft has truly arrived. Dreams really can come true!”
Ernie’s Quicksilver microlite can be seen on display in Hangar No. 1 at the Ulster Aviation Museum.
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Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
British Hang Gliding History website
Eipper Formance website
Farming Life
Photos – Mark J. Cairns
Ulster Aviation Museum
If you have an idea for a story, please email Kevin Reid [email protected]
