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Transatlantic Model Airplane Flight to Begin Shortly

Posted by michael on from the scramble-the-fighters dept.

dtmos writes "An update on this old story -- Maynard Hill's attempt to fly an 11-lb. model airplane across the Atlantic (from Newfoundland to Ireland) is due to begin tomorrow night, Newfoundland time. This would be the first transatlantic flight by a true model under FAI rules (this plane was too large to qualify). News and updates, background information, some technical info."

4 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. I work with one of these guys... by staggerlee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...he's in the General Services department at National Geographic (and a better code and hardware hacker, in all senses of the word, than anyone in our IS group). This guy's spent months trying to build a GPS that would fit on your watch face.

    The funny thing here is that he went to NG to offer them coverage - he wasn't looking for funding or anything - and they declined, saying there wouldn't be enough interest. Well now it's in the Post, it's on /. and to cap it all off, who's doing a TV special about it? Discovery. Ain't that a swift kick in the crotch.

    Congrats, Foster - clear skies =)

    --
    "I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing."
  2. The doomsday people... by Uttles · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Have been asking about using this for bombs... Well, the US already has these that carry bombs, we're using them in Afghanistan. As far as this actual plane goes and any citizen trying to use one, it could never carry a bomb. It could, however, carry some sort of airborn biological weapon, but there are numerous examples of how hard it would be to actually hurt someone with a small amount of bio warfare.

    --

    ~ now you know
  3. GPLed do-it-yourself kit by tramm · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Since Slashdot is now 100% robotics stories, you might be interested in building your own autopilot kit for model airplanes and helicopters. It isn't perfect yet, but we're getting there.

    The hardware design and source code are all GPLed and available. The most recent releases have an OpenGL helicopter simulator for you to play with as well.

    --
    -- http://www.swcp.com/~hudson/
  4. Excellent! Now, try that without a power plant! by TheLocustNMI · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well, i guess the next OBVIOUS step is a plane that can cross the Atlantic on nothing but thermals and tailwinds!

    I mean, when you can keep an unpowered plane aloft for 36 hours, why not? Well, so far the straight-line distance record is only 226km, but with a GPS autopilot, and a thermal detection unit (get the scientist working on the tube technology immediately!), who knows!

    FAI RC Model Records for Gliders

    Lift!

    --
    thelocust[dot]org