The ''Micron'' was the second of two human-powered aircraft designed and built by Peter Wright, an engineer from
Melton Mowbray,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
[
Wright had previously designed and built the ]Wright MPA Mk 1
The Wright MPA Mk 1 was the first of two human-powered aircraft designed and built by Peter Wright, an engineer from Melton Mowbray, England.
Background
Design of the aircraft began in October 1969, with construction itself beginning mid ...
, which first flew in 1972. The low wing loading of that design affected the flight opportunities which could be made. The design of his second human-powered aircraft, the ''Micron'', began in 1974 with the intent that it be robust and practical; to this end, it had a relatively high wing loading, thereby increasing flight opportunities.[ It was also intended to be easily assembled and transportable in a glider trailer.][
The ''Micron'' was of conventional configuration. It was a low-wing monoplane, with a very streamlined fuselage and a V-tail empennage.][ The pilot sat in a recumbent position, pedalling a set of bicycle pedals, and powering a pusher propeller mounted on a pylon located near the front of the fuselage.][ Power transmission was by a cable/roller drive.][ The craft made extensive use of plastics, expanded polystyrene, and carbon fibre. The fuselage, tail, and upper wing surfaces were all produced using moulds.][
The craft was completed by February 1976, and involved 200 hours of construction time.][ A month later it was reported that the ''Micron'' was undergoing trials at ]RAF Cranwell
Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trai ...
, and was being hangared there alongside the ''Jupiter'' and ''Mercury'' human-powered aircraft.[ The websit]
Human Powered Flight
reports that the craft was later converted into a single-place sailplane, which was based at the Buckminster Gliding Club.[
]
Specifications
See also
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite magazine, last=Moulton , first=Ron , author-link=Ron Moulton, date=May 1975, title=Progress with man powered flight, magazine=AeroModeller, location=Hemel Hempstead, Herts, UK, publisher=Model & Allied Publications Ltd, page=294]
[{{cite magazine, last=Moulton , first=Ron, date=March 1976, title=Man powered aircraft, magazine=AeroModeller, location=Hemel Hempstead, Herts, UK, publisher=Model & Allied Publications Ltd, pages=144–145]
[{{Cite book , last=Sherwin , first=Keith , author-link=Keith Sherwin , title=Man-powered flight , publisher=Model & Allied Publications Ltd , year=1971 , edition=revised reprint 1975 , isbn=0852424361 , location=Hemel Hempstead, Herts, UK , pages=177–178 , language=en]
[{{cite book , editor-last1=Taylor , editor-first1=John W. R. , date=1975 , title=Jane's all the world's aircraft 1975-76 , location=London , publisher=Jane's Yearbooks , page=238 , isbn=0354005219 , url=https://archive.org/details/janesallworldsai0000unse_o5q7/page/238/mode/1up, access-date=April 15, 2023]
[{{cite web , title=Other 70s Planes - Micron , url=https://www.humanpoweredflight.co.uk/page/human-powered-flight-other-70s-planes , website=Human Powered Flight , access-date=18 March 2023]}
Human-powered aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Pusher aircraft
V-tail aircraft
Single-engined pusher aircraft
1970s British experimental aircraft
Unflown aircraft