For years man has tried to fly just like a bird, there have been a number of attempts throughout the years to try to mimic how these fly, but with little success. Charles Q. Choi, from CSMonitor points out that trying to generate enough lift to fly has always been the main issue, so thought that he would explain how the Snowbird works.

The first that needs pointing out is its wingspan, almost as much as a 747, but much lighter. The aircraft has been made from a mixture of carbon fiber, balsa wood and basswood – not certain I would want to be flying in an oversized model aircraft.

So we now know that the most important aspects of the Snowbird for flight is wingspan and its weight – or rather lack of it. The craft is powered by the legs of the pilot, and for each stroke of the leg between 600 and 700 Watts of power is generated. The legs had to be used, as this is the strongest part of the body. We now wait to see if the Snowbird can fly even longer next time.

For more details on the Snowbird visit CSMonitor

More About: Airplane, Snowbird, Travel

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