The Southampton University Man Powered Aircraft (or SUMPAC) on 9 November 1961 became the first
human-powered aeroplane to make an officially authenticated take-off and flight. It was designed and built by Southampton university students between 1960 and 1961 for an attempt at the
Kremer prize
The Kremer prizes are a series of monetary awards, established in 1959 by the industrialist Henry Kremer.
Royal Aeronautical Society Human Powered Flight Group
The Royal Aeronautical Society's "Man Powered Aircraft Group" was formed in 1959 b ...
, but it was never able to complete the 'figure-of-eight' course specified to claim the prize money.
[Guttery 1969, p. 70.]
Design and development
The aircraft was designed and built by a team of post-graduate students from
Southampton University
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
. Intended to compete for the £50,000 Kremer Prize (requiring successful completion of a one-mile (1.6 km) 'figure of eight' course) the project was funded by the
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
.
The aircraft is of conventional configuration, with the exception of a pylon mounted pusher propeller, and is constructed from
balsa
''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' being ...
,
plywood
Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured ...
and
aluminium alloy
An aluminium alloy (or aluminum alloy; see spelling differences) is an alloy in which aluminium (Al) is the predominant metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, nickel and zinc. There are two principal ...
. Originally
covered
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
with silver-doped
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic.
Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...
the aircraft now sports a transparent plastic skin on the
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
.
The SUMPAC was powered using pedals and chains to drive a large two-bladed
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
. Piloted by noted gliding instructor and test pilot
Derek Piggott
Alan Derek Piggott (27 December 1922 – 6 January 2019) was one of Britain's best known glider pilots and instructors. He had over 5,000 hours on over 153 types of powered aircraft and over 5,000 hours on over 184 types of glider. He was hon ...
, its first flight on 9 November 1961 at
Lasham airfield
Lasham Airfield is an aerodrome located north-west of Alton in Hampshire, England, in the village of Lasham.
It was built in 1942 and was a Royal Air Force Station during the Second World War, many significant operations being flown from it. ...
covered a distance of 70 yards (64 m) and climbed to a height of six feet (1.8 m).
The longest flight made was 650 yards (594 m) rising to a maximum height of 15 ft (4.6 m). Turns were attempted, with 80 degrees the best achieved. A total of 40 flights were made by SUMPAC.
Details of SUMPAC
/ref> After a crash in 1963 which caused damage to the fragile structure it was decided to retire the aircraft although it had been repaired.Solent Sky
Solent Sky is an aviation museum in Southampton, Hampshire, previously known as Southampton Hall of Aviation.
It depicts the history of aviation in Southampton, the Solent area and Hampshire. There is special focus on the Supermarine aircraft c ...
museum; it was loaned for some time to the Shuttleworth Collection
The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located at the Old Warden Aerodrome, Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. It is the oldest in the world and one of the most prestigious, due to the variety of old a ...
but now resides in its hometown of Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
.
Specifications (SUMPAC)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
* Guttery, T.E. ''The Shuttleworth Collection''. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. SBN 901319-01-5
Man powered flight advances
{{refend
Aircraft first flown in 1961
Human-powered aircraft
1960s British experimental aircraft
Science and technology in Hampshire
University of Southampton
Single-engined pusher aircraft
Shoulder-wing aircraft