Airglow is a human powered aircraft, one of an exclusive group of aircraft that derive their power for flight from the pilot’s pedaling.
Its construction is mainly carbon fiber tubes, balsa wood, blue foam, kevlar and mylar film. It has two control surfaces: a vertical fin to control yaw and a horizontal tail plane to control pitch.
History:
Airglow was designed and built by John Mcintyre in the early 1990s with his brother Mark. They kindly received financial support from the Royal Aeronautical Society to help them afford carbon fiber. It was then flown on and off for a few years before being put into storage until 2010 where it was gifted to Dr Bill Brooks who formed team Airglow as we know it today, and in 2011 Airglow was successfully test flown at Kemble Airfield.
Statistics:
- Span: 26.2m (with normal tips) and 29m (with ‘super-tips’)
- Wing area: 23.6 sq m (with normal tips) and 26 sq m (with ‘super-tips’)
- Mass: Approximately 40KG
- Wing section: DAI1335 and DAI1336, originated by Mark Drela.
- Cruise speed: 20-22 mph
- Stall speed: 18 mph
Current Use:
Eight years on from being restored by P&M Aviation Airglow is still going strong and has competed in the Icarus Cup since the Cup’s inception. Super-tips have been added to make take off easier and twist in the wing has been corrected. A new set of propellers have also improved flying characteristics. Airglow has been supported by Airways Airfield, Clearprop, Garmin, Kemble Flying Club and P&M Aviation. We would like to thank them all for helping us to get where we are.