Model plane flown across Atlantic

tThe Guardian ^ | 8/12/2003 | Jack Garland (AP)

[sjersey]

It didn't fly high and it didn't fly swiftly, but The Spirit of Butts Farm made it all the way from Canada to Ireland with a few drops of fuel to spare, a group of model airplane enthusiasts say.

They are hoping for a distance record for the flight of 38 hours, 23 minutes over 1,888.3 miles by a model plane that weighed just 11 pounds when it took off from Newfoundland.

For Dave Brown, who was at the controls for Monday's landing at Marrin Beach in County Galway, it was a great moment.

``A great cheer went up when we saw it, and four minutes later I landed it in the field. It was so thrilling,'' Brown said in a telephone interview.

The balsa wood-and-mylar plane was designed by retired engineer Maynard Hill, 77, of Silver Spring, Md. He launched it from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, on Saturday night.

The nearly 6-foot-long craft was packed with instruments that sent telemetry back to mission control and helped guide the plane. Once in sight of the Irish coast, the plane came back under human control for landing.

Brown, president of American Academy of Model Aeronautics, said he flew to Ireland to handle the landing. Hill kept in touch by telephone from Newfoundland.

``At one point our instruments began telling us the aircraft was inexplicably dipping up and down 100 feet at a time, and then we lost contact of it,'' he said.

``We thought it only had fuel for 37 hours and we were saying that if it gets there it would get there by pure will, and by God it did.

``There was even about a shot-glass of gasoline left in the tank.''

About 50 spectators met the aircraft.

If the flight is certified by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, it could set world records for distance traveled by a model airplane and duration of flight.

The federation's assistant secretary-general, Thierry Montigneaux, said from Lausanne, Switzerland, that the modelers had seven days to give notice of their record claims and 120 days to submit a dossier of evidence.

Joe Dible, president of the Model Aeronautics Council of Ireland, said he notified the federation by e-mail. He was at the field where The Spirit of Butts Farm landed.

``It's very exciting for me, and it was an unbelievable achievement,'' Dible said.

Brown said when Maynard first mentioned 10 years ago his plan to fly a model plane across the Atlantic, ``I have to admit that at first I thought he was daffy.

``But I've since learnt that he is not the kind of guy you tell he can't do something to,'' Brown said.

[ohmage]

Good stuff. But try remote controlling a real airplane full of people.

Impossible.

[TroutStalker]

That's pretty cool. I was looking at my old RC plane yesterday and thinking about checking it out soon. I wonder if they used GPS for the guidance system.

[glock rocks]

Tue Aug 12, 6:06 PM ET

Dave Brown, president of the American Academy of Model Aeronautics, holds a model airplane called The Spirit of Butts Farm after its successful 1,888.3 mile (3,035.8 km) flight from Canada Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 near Marrin Beach in County Galway, Ireland. The plane, built by Maynard Hill, 77, of Silver Spring, Md. was lauched from Cape Spear, Newfoundland, 38 hours, 23 minutes before its landing in Ireland, and may set world records for distance traveled by a model airplane as well as duration of flight. (AP Photo/Tom Frawley, HO)

[wtc911]

I bet the GI BUSH figure was in the cockpit.

[joesnuffy]

Fine piece of work...quite an accomplishment

[ChewedGum]

lol - the Spirit of Butts Farm? Amazing work, but what a name! (Is that Farmer Butts in the picture?)

Gum

[Onelifetogive]

Fine piece of work...quite an accomplishment

What kind ofcomment was that!!! This is FreeRepublic! We need controversy! You could have, at least, misspelled some words. I'm series, this is hugh!

[COBOL2Java]

I bet the GI BUSH figure was in the cockpit.

I beg to differ! An engineering accomplishment like this calls for a Scotty figure in the cockpit!

[mhking]

That's cool!

Just damn.

If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[ClearCase_guy]

Hey! I notice you just joined up on Feb 8, 2000! Troll!

And what's with that typo "ofcomment"? Huh? Maybe you should go back to DU!

Is this better FR style?

[southernnorthcarolina]

``There was even about a shot-glass of gasoline left in the tank.''

Clearly Mr. Brown is familiar with the Irish metric system.

Shotglasses and pints.

[Barry Goldwater]

How do we know that this can't be used as some type of terrorist contraption? Now they can launch from Europe and attack the US! Why aren't model planes banned or at least registered? The pilots of these things should be background checked! /<sarcasm + controversy/ off

[LetsRok]

Great. Now every terrorist in the world will want to buy one and send a load of biological weapons to the target country of their choice.

[Protagoras]

Great. Now every terrorist in the world will want to buy one and send a load of biological weapons to the target country of their choice.

Poor man's cruise missile.

[Dead Dog]

Sounds like a prison. "It's Plowin't time at the Butt's Farm".

[Onelifetogive]

Hey! I notice you just joined up on Feb 8, 2000! Troll!

And what's with that typo "ofcomment"? Huh? Maybe you should go back to DU!

Much better!

[Uncle George]

What kind of Gas engine can run 38 hours on such a small amount of fuel??????. The ones I used to fly used one ounce per minute.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

How do we know that this can't be used as some type of terrorist contraption?

Sadly, my first thought was how this could be used as a weapon.