Student flies like a bird, powered only by himself...maybe

A Canadian university student has done what Leonardo da Vinci had only dreamt of: Piloted a human-powered "wing-flapping" plane! Called an ornithopter, and the inspiration for modern day helicopters, the machine was first sketched by da Vinci way back in 1485 and never actually built.

Todd Reichert, an engineering student at the University of Toronto, made history by sustaining flight in his ornithopter -- named Snowbird -- for 19.3 seconds and covering 475.72 feet. Snowbird is made from carbon fiber, balsa wood, and foam. The 92.59 pound vehicle maintained an average speed of 15.91 miles per hour

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• manually controlled plane
• da vinci
• 2010
• Student flies like a bird
• powered only by himself
• Student
• flies
• bird
• HPO flight
• new technology
• new
• tech
• technology
• tech update
• nice tech
• 2010 technology
• airplanes
• 2010 airplanes
• fly like a bird
• anything

[sean10222]

It's a flapping glider towed by a Smart Car, not an ornithopter.

[MrBadboyfromusa]

nice look like big bird.

[peejaypjohn]

man this is cool. Wish I had this guy's brain

[peejaypjohn]

3rd!

[3lackcat]

@mattdykstra Only to get him into the air after that it was arm and leg powered you can even see the tow cable drop at around 27 secs in.