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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."

1 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Good luck by PhysicsGenius · · Score: 2, Troll
    A tiny plane like a model will never make it across the Atlantic because airplanes don't scale down. Lift (==control) rises as the square of the size whereas weight rises as the cube. So when you have a tiny plane it is mostly lift. Which sounds great, except that human reaction times and amounts are grossly oversized to control something so unstable. Flying around the backyard is fine, choppy winds and extensive times are another.

    And don't even get me started on the inadequacy of the power source to last that long. Crazy dreamer.