September 27, 2010 — It took University of Toronto grad students four years to build. But it only took 19.3 seconds to put them into the aviation record books.
In that time, Todd Reichert traveled about 475 feet at an average speed of 16 mph in a human-powered ornithopter, which flies by flapping its wings, the Ottawa Citizen reported. But before he could do so, the student, who had the most pilot experience of his team, had to lose nearly 20 pounds and exercise his legs. That’s because pulling down the wings, which span about 105 feet, requires 700 pounds of pressure.
The flight was short, but "we knew we'd nailed it," he told the Ottawa Citizens from the team's airfield at Tottenham.
The world air sports federation, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, sent a witness to watch the flight and is expected to recognize it during its meeting in October, the BBC reported. Unlike previous attempts in the past, the Canadian group was able to provide telemetry data to prove that the craft flew under its own power.
Reichert made the flight in the "Snowbird" on August 2, but the team waited until recently to release any information, just to be sure all their data was in line, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
Built from carbon fiber, foam, and balsa wood, the ornithopter weighs about 94 pounds. To keep it light, lift-off mechanisms were not built-in. Instead, a tow car helped lift it clear of the ground, the BBC reported. But then Reichert took over, using his feet to pump a bar that flaps the wings.
The Snowbird, which cost more than $200,000, was designed and built under the guidance of emeritus aerospace engineering professor James D. DeLaurier, who has been studying ornithopters for most of his career, the Los Angeles Times reported. More than 30 students and two civilian volunteers participated in its construction.
Reichert said the Snowbird represents the completion of an age-old aeronautical dream.
"Throughout history, countless men and women have dreamt of flying like a bird under their own power, and hundreds, if not thousands have attempted to achieve it," he said in a statement. "This represents one of the last of the aviation firsts."
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The Snowbird ornithopter, a plane with flexing wings that is pedaled, was developed by Todd Reichert and a team at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, to help to realize mankind's desire to fly like a bird. Photo credit: Todd Reichert, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace.
Todd Reichert had to lose nearly 20 pounds before he could fly the Snowbird in August.
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