What a poor endeavor for a team of 10 engineers this striving to surpass the previous 71.5 miles record by a mere 3.5 miles is -- so much the more than their predecessor was mostly flying in ground effect, i.e., not really flying...
This said, the recent inroad of disruptive materials and navigation technologies into the ultra-light aircraft sector may have incited motorbike manufacturer Yahama to dismiss more promising ultra-light aircraft developments -- fearing that the idea of 2G-turns in the airspace might catch among the motorbike community...
With 10 engineers, advanced materials and a comfortable budget there would indeed be room for break-through innovations -- e.g., human powered, electrically assisted cycloidal rotorcraft...
The human powered flight trend was made a little more interesting this week when Japanese engineering team Aeroscepsy said they were in the midst of tweaking a polystyrene ‘plane’ powered by pedal pushing in the hopes that they can beat the world record for distance traveled in a human-propelled plane.
The team of ten engineers — who all currently work for Yahama — say that a professional mountain biker is waiting in the wings to pilot their “Gokurakutombo” craft, which has a wingspan of 117 feet (35.6 meters), half of a Boeing 747 jet. The plane only weighs 81 pounds (37kg) due to its polystyrene construction, and comes together through a carbon fiber shell.
The Gokurakutombo, a pun on “happy dragonfly,” will hopefully snatch the record for human flight set in 1988 by the MIT’s Daedalus, which was able to reach a distance of 71.5 miles (115km) after setting off in Crete.
The leader of the Aeroscepsy team, Shinsuke Yano, told the AFP:
“We are pretty confident about reaching a new record. We know from past tests that our aircraft has that capacity. The most difficult part is reading weather conditions. Light wind can upset the fragile plane.”
The engineers hope to set off on their record attempt close to Mt. Fuji and across the Pacific early next year. If all goes to plan, the Gokurakutombo will be gunning for roughly 75 miles.
(via Phys.org)
