New Micro Air Vehicle Endurance Record

Posted 21 Oct 2002 at 20:30 UTC by steve

A new Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) flight endurance record of one hour and 47 minutes was set recently according to a DARPA press release (PDF format). The record setting MAV, named The WASP, was made by AeroVironment, Inc under a DARPA research contract for synthetic multifunctional materials. The WASP uses electric propulsion, has a 13 inch wingspan and weighs in at just 170 grams. AeroVironment makes a variety of robotic planes and other electrically powered vehicles.

Tiny Flying Things, posted 21 Oct 2002 at 22:28 UTC by jeffkoenig » (Master)

Although it won't win the endurance record, "Pixel" the micro- helicopter, is also very cool.

Check it out at: http://www.planetinternet.be/pixel/

Real Model RC records, posted 22 Oct 2002 at 18:36 UTC by earlwb » (Master)

These records were set by people without multi-million dollar government budgets.
I really love the smallest model to fly. Must have been heck to capture all them flies to use as motors. Then you have to superglue them to the model. Humm...might work as a motor for a new class of under 1cubic centimeter robots. Nano-cyborgs.

Altitude: A radio-controlled model airplane owned by Maynard Hill (USA) climbed to a record breaking altitude of 8,205m (26,919ft) on the 6 of September 1970.
Distance: In July 1995, Robert Rosenthal and Maynard Hill (USA) set a model airplane closed-circuit record of 1,250 km (776 miles). The longest flight in a straight line to a nominated landing point was 737.9 km (458 miles 880 yds), by Maynard Hill and Robert Rosenthal, from Bealeton, Virginia, USA, to Ridgeland, South Carolina, USA in 8ht 43mins on 29 of August 1995.
Speed: The overall speed record is 395.64 km/h (245.84 mph), by a model flown on control lines by Leonod Lipinski (USSR) in December 1971. The record for a radio-controlled model is 390..92 km/h (242.91 mph), by Walter Siatar (Austria) on the 10 June 1977.
Maynard Hill (USA) flew a powered model for 33hr 39mins 15secs form 1-2 October 1992. - An indoor model with a wound rubber motor set a record of 55mins 6 sec in December 1993. - Jean-Peirre Schlitknecht flew a solar-driven model airplane for 10hr 43mins 15secs at Wetzlar, Germany, on the 10 July 1991.
Smallest model aircraft: The smallest model aircrafts weighs 0.1g (4/100 oz.). Powered by a horse fly, it was made by Don Emmick of Seattle, USA.
Largest model aircraft: The Largest radio-controlled model aircrafts was a glider weighing 163.3kg (360lb) with a wingspan of 7.77 m (25ft 6in) made by Melton Mowbray and District Model Club, UK.