History:

Edgar Wikner Percival was born in Albury, NSW, in 1897 and died in 1984 at the age of 86 years. He was well known for his design of aircraft in the United Kingdom under the Percival name, a number of which were imported to this region and are dealt with elsewhere. He was building and flying gliders of his own design by 1912, making his first flight in an aeroplane with William Hart at Richmond, NSW in a Bristol Boxkite in 1911. He learnt to fly and went solo after 23 minutes of tuition.  Later in life whilst in service with the RAF in Egypt he designed an aircraft based on the Bristol F.2b but this aircraft does not seem to have been built.  After demobilisation at the conclusion of World War I he obtained two Avro 504Ks and a de Havilland DH.6 and went into business in Australia operating an aerial survey, advertising, joy-riding and charter work business.

In November / December 1924 he flew an aircraft known as the Broadsmith B.4 biplane in the Light Powered Aeroplane Competition at Ham Common, which later became Richmond Aerodrome, NSW, and RAAF Richmond. This aeroplane had been designed by Harold Broadsmith and was built for, and entered by, Mr D Macarthur Onslow.

Percival built the winning entry in the 1924 Australian Aero Club competition held at Richmond aimed at producing a satisfactory light aircraft. In 1926 he flew an aircraft of his own design and competed in the Federal Government’s challenge for both design and piloting skills, winning an award. Records indicate he in the 1930s designed and built a light aircraft in which he flew from Maitland to Sydney – about 150 km (93 miles)  in 57 minutes. To date very little is known about this aircraft and its ultimate fate but it may well be the aircraft he designed for the 1924 competition.