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First Human-Powered Ornithopter

Posted by samzenpus on from the don't-stop-pedaling dept.

spasm writes "A University of Toronto engineering graduate student has made and successfully flown a human-powered flapping-wing aircraft. From the article: 'Todd Reichert, a PhD candidate at the university's Institute of Aerospace Studies, piloted the wing-flapping aircraft, sustaining both altitude and airspeed for 19.3 seconds and covering a distance of 145 metres at an average speed of 25.6 kilometres per hour.'"

1 of 250 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Why Still Pursuing This? by santax · · Score: 0, Troll

    If you can power an airplane with human-muscle you may be on your way to find out how the hell bees can fly (they should not be able to fly if the current laws of psychics were correct), but on a more 'profit'-base. He at the very least found a way to reduce air-drag and that knowledge might save a couple thousand of gallon jet-fuel per trip in commercial airlines. I'm am sure I am missing a lot of other things that is to be gained from this.