Did a Welshman from Pembrokeshire beat the Wright brothers to make the first manned flight by a heavier-than-air aircraft?

History records that the Wrights successfully flew over 400 yards at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on 17 December 1903. But there are many who think that the two Americans were not the first to achieve that feat.

Many people believe that Frost should be recognised for already having done it several years earlier at Saundersfoot. Frost was a local carpenter and using all his skills he designed and constructed a “Flying Machine” from bamboo poles, bound together and covered by stretched fabric.

What actually happened on that September day in 1895 has been the subject of debate and conjecture. According to legend, there is no doubt the machine actually flew as it took off from the local landmark, Stammer Hill before it hit a tree.

In an interview he gave to the Western Mail in 1935, Frost told the story of his passion to be the first person to fly. The article quotes Frost as claiming he did succeed in his mission. Others are not so sure because of the absence of documentary proof.

Intriguingly, help in solving the mystery may be at hand. Aviation experts at The Royal Aircraft establishment at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire are engaged in a project to recreate the ‘Flying Machine’. They will use Frost’s patents in an attempt to see if Frost did beat the Wrights.

Whatever the truth of the events there is no doubt Bill Frost was an early pioneer of aviation. His “Flying Machine” provided the link between the aeroplane and the airship.