Man-Powered Flight

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30823, 7 August 1965, Page 5

Man-Powered Flight

<Ry JOHN NEWNHAM in the “Sydney Morning Herald." Reprinted by Arrangement. / J7VER since the legendary Icarus flew too close to the sun and melted his wings, man has been trying to get off the ground. He can do it with engines and rockets, but not with his own muscles. Now, with a £5OOO prize and a place in history at stake, a hardy band of adventurers in Britain is seeking the world’s fi r s t man-powered flight.

So far the adventurers have only a collection of startlingly old planes, a kangaroo-hop of half a mile, two crashes and a lot of backache to show for it.

Still, they never give up—not even when one foolhardy birdman launched himself off Hammersmith Bridge and nearly drowned in the Thames below. The conditions are set by that august body, the Royal Aeronautical Society. It pronounces that man-powered Hight will be “truly achieved” only when a machine covers a mile-long, figure-of-eight course at a height of not less than 10 feet.

Many attempts have been made in the past, with all sorts of weird and wonderful machines fly-cyles, eyelopters, mini-copters, gyrobikes and “human birds” — but all have remained stubbornly earthbound.

Variety Of Machines

Now the race is on in earnest with Henry Kremer, a London businessman, offering a prize of £5OOO to the first “birdman." In Nissen huts and hangar corners across Britain, enthusiasts debate the laws of muscle-powered aerodynamics and build a variety of machines.

With four groups striving to become the first latter-day Icarus, experts believe the first flight will be achieved during the coming months. The teams include some of Britain’s top aircraft designers and pilots, while a few lone birdmen experiment with wings. Mythology tells us that Icarus pranged in Crete from a great height when the sun melted the wax on his wings. Today’s birdman takes no such risk. His materials are plastic film, balsa wood, artificial fibres, aluminium tubing and bicycle parts. They take the shape of light-weight aircraft, complete with wings, fuselage, tailplanes and fins.

Best “Engine”

Lacking, however, the supernatural powers of Icarus they must look for more reliable sources of power. In this department a group at Southend believes it has the best “engine” around —a superbly fit racing cyclist. He is Derek Gray, aged 26. who, with British United Airways jet pilot, Barry Stacey, aged 32, crew the Southend machine.

Built of aluminium foil, the craft has a 90ft wingspan and 12ft fuselage, ending in a bulbous plastic nose. In it, side by side, Messrs Gray and Stacey pedal the power to a bicycle wheel geared by a rubber fan belt to a propeller on top of the wing. Mr Stacey provides supplementary power to his furiously pumping “engine” while handling the controls. Their first attempt to get off the ground failed. A pedal pin broke while they were racing down the tarmac at a workmanlike 15 m.p.h. With half the power gone lift-off was impossible. “We were going quite nicely,” said Mr Stacey, “and only wanted another 10 m.p.h. to get airborne. I have a terrific backache.” “I'm sure we’ll get in the air next time," panted Mr Gray.

Adrian Reynolds, leader of the group and chief designer, is confident of ultimate success but candidly admits, "There are a lot of people in aircraft design who think we are a lot of nuts."

At least he's not alone. In the corner of a hanger at Croydon lies a machine that has already made a hop of 50 yards. Built originally bystudents at Southampton University it was bequeathed to a group of students from the Imperial College of Science and Technology. Re-designed since its flight in 1961 the Croydon machine is made of light steel and aluminium, with a tailplane of spruce and balsa wood. Its wingspan is 30 feet and the whole is covered by a thin skin of plastic film. But like may pioneers of the past the students need money to add the finishing touches. Then, they say. they’ll be ready to fly. To date the most successful muscle-powered flight belongs to John Wimpenny and Puffin, a single-seater pedal craft built by the Hatfield ManPowered Aircraft Club.

It flew 993 yards at a height of six feet in 1961 but could not make a turn. A crash in 1963 put Puffin back in the hangar but the Hatfield members accepted it as a blessing in disguise rather than a setback. The club decided to rebuild to an 'mproved design allowing aerial turns, and has drawn a tight veil of secrecyover subsequent progress. Puffin II has a 93ft wingspan for better lift and a more finely tuned "motor" than the somewhat out-of-condition Mr Wimpenny. Taking lessons in gliding in preparation for a record attempt in Puffin II is Chisto-

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pher Church, an amateur International cyclist. "An attempt is expected soon." is all the members say. The fourth machine, the most fascinating and Icaruslike of all, utilises a flappingwings principle. Yet its designers, a group of “boffins" at the Royal Aircraft Estanlishment. say their “Farnborough ornithopter" will not fly for at least a year. “It is waiting in reserve." say the aerodynanusts, confident perhaps that their competitors will never get off the ground long enough to collect Mr Kremer’s prize. Like the more conventional machines the ornithopter is powered by pedals, but unlike the others, the pilot makes turns by leaning perilously either to the left or right. Partridge's Wings Unfortunately the Farnborough team is not saying what is meant precisely by "flapping wings.” For certain they will be somewhat more sophisticated than the wings of aptly-named "birdman’’ Donald Partridge, a 21-year-old packer in an ice-cream factory. Equipped with cotton fabric wings stretched over a cane frame strapped to his arms. Partridge attempted his maiden flight from Hammersmith Bridge. For a moment it looked as if he might succeed. The wings bit into the air for a hold only to collaspe in seconds and plummet the luckless aviator into the muddy Thames. Pulled under by his water logged wings. Partridge wa dragged to safety by friend

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