Da Vinci's ornithopter takes flight
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/24/3020694.htm?section=justin
Video: [ame="http://vimeo.com/15168011"]HPO The Snowbird on Vimeo[/ame]
Quite an impressive wing span at 32m and it has an interesting wing tip motion in the video. I wonder what the wing is made of?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/09/24/3020694.htm?section=justin
Centuries after Leonardo Da Vinci sketched designs of a giant bat-shaped craft that used a pilot's arms and legs to power the wings, Canadian engineering students say they have flown an engineless aircraft that stays aloft by flapping its wings like a bird.
International aviation officials are expected to certify next month that "The Snowbird" has made the world's first successful, sustained flight of a human-powered ornithopter.
The Snowbird sustained both altitude and airspeed for 19.3 seconds, in an August 2 test flight near Toronto that was witnessed by an official of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, the University of Toronto announced.
Video: [ame="http://vimeo.com/15168011"]HPO The Snowbird on Vimeo[/ame]
Quite an impressive wing span at 32m and it has an interesting wing tip motion in the video. I wonder what the wing is made of?