Some exiting news!
We have just been officially awarded a Guinness World Record for the largest wingspan on a rocket-powered remote controlled aircraft - what a fantastic result!
Here is a link to the record on the Guinness World Records website.
Aaaaand here is the video about the entire project the Project Air YouTube channel.
During the summer, the Project Air and I team worked hard on building a new experimental glider with a twist: this would be a glider equipped with a mid-power rocket engine on the nose to boost it up to a high, from where it could glide back down.
It was a very difficult project, and ended up involving the construction of the largest model I'd ever flown.
It all started by taking inspiration from small balsa wood gliders originally designed in the 1950s to use miniature rocket motors (called JETEX motors) to simulate the thrust of a jet engine.
We supersized this concept with a balsa glider of our own, but one with an enormous 19ft/5.9m wingspan.
The problem was we didn't know if this wing would twist too much when the rocket fired, and we'd only find out when the plane was actually in the air. The ribs were light 3mm ply and the covering was Oracover.
Other problems included how we would launch the plane. Eventually Emma came up with the idea of her launching the plane by hand with myself running alongside to spot the end of the wing. This would allow me to keep one hand on the controls at all times.
After lots of glide testing, we were finally ready to prep the aircraft for flight and have a go at breaking the record with a flight time of over 25 seconds, which was required in the guidelines for the official record. Could we do it?
A first flight with a smaller motor went very well indeed, and I managed to gently glide the aircraft in for a controlled landing in a neighbouring field, having not enough altitude to turn around.
Next I needed to get the plane ready for another test flight but on a larger size motor.
With a decent run-up, the plane got airborne and I could hit the ignition switch to start the rocket motor.
The wings just about held up, and after a quick 180 turn, I brought the massive aircraft in for a soft landing (this time in the same field).
With a flight of 29 seconds, we'd done it and secured the record.
Let me know what you'd like to see wheeled out of the Project Air workshop next. With a new project on the Project Air YouTube channel every month, I'm sure there will be another world record coming over the horizon soon.
- James
