The White Dwarf is a human powered
dirigible
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
that has set several world records.
Design
The White Dwarf set several world records with pilot (and engine)
Bryan Allen. The dirigible features a teardrop shaped lift bag. The
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...
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 ...
is a truss design with a single pilot seat on top with a chain driven
pusher propeller
In an aircraft with a pusher configuration (as opposed to a tractor configuration), the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). Since a pusher propeller is mounted behind the engine, the drive shaft is in compression in nor ...
positioned in front of a rudder.
Operational history
The White Dwarf was flown in 8 hours and 50 minutes.
Specifications (White Dwarf)
References
{{reflist
Further reading
*
Clément-Bayard No.1
External links
YouTube Video of White Dwarf
Airships
Homebuilt aircraft