Entry in Red Bull DIY aircraft fun-fly day made using wide-format signage materials.
Each year the Red Bull energy drink company stages its “Flugtag” (Fly Day) in Sydney and other global cities. It’s where competitors get to fly their home-made and man-powered planes over, (and of course into) the harbour.
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| A scene from last year's event |
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| The wing under construction |
This year’s event takes place on Sunday November 7th and flights take off from a specially prepared ramp at Mrs Macquarie’s chair near the Botanical Gardens.
Australia has never been short of accomplished aviators such as Qantas pioneer Hudson Fysh and Kingsford-Smith so it should come as no surprise that one of our finest will risk life and limb to help break the free flight record of 60 metres.
Ben Eaton, General Manager of Starleaton Digital Solutions is putting his faith in wide-format technology having supplied the 3A Gator board, Enviroboard MR and Morane film to construct an aircraft that will be push-launced by him and his team and piloted by (the slightly lighter) James Vesper. The drawback of being a ‘pusher’ is that both you and the launch apparatus end up in the drink! (and that’s not the Red Bull).
“It’s a fun thing but we are taking our entry seriously,” says Eaton, “such as training drops for the pushers as it’s a 10 metre fall once the plane is launched. Gator and Enviroboard MR has been used and CNC cut for the framework and stringers with the wings and fuselage skinned with 75 micron Morane encapsulation film. The judging is based on plane design and entertainment value as well as distance flown.”
A video of last year’s winner can be seen here:
http://www.redbull.com.au/cs/Satellite/en_AU/Red-Bull-Flugtag-Sydney/001242853834822
With wind beneath its wings, the Starleaton entry might just pull off another Australian world record! Watch out for the post-takeoff news.
Update 1st November 2010
With only days to go before the annual Red Bull ‘Flug Tag’ (Fly Day), a visit to the hangar where the Starleaton-supported entry is being build has revealed a much more sophisticated flying machine and an all-singing, all-dancing ground crew prepared to go to great lengths to entertain as well as take to the skies.
Ben Eaton and his colleagues at Rosemont’s Staging, a theatrical set construction firm in Botany where the plane is being assembled, held a rehearsal on Saturday and showcased the work-to-date. The three ‘pushers’ and pilot who will launch the plane made from Gatorfoam, Enviroboard MR and Morane film, on Sunday 7th November at Sydney’s Botanical Gardens, will be dressed as Bavarians and will perform the knee-slapping dance, carefully choreographed with aviation in mind. Red Baron as well as Red Bull anyone?
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| The dance rehearsal |
The quality of the build is very impressive as the photographs show. All components have been CNC-cut on a Multicam machine and designed using AutoCad software. The plane is three-winged with a large air-scooping wing at the front and biplane wings to the rear. “To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever constructed such an aircraft using 3A Composite’s Gatorfoam and other wide format materials, “says Eaton. “We researched many designs and believe this one has the best chance of reaching escape velocity which is calculated as 1.6 metres/second We also have a secret weapon in that former Australian 100m sprint champion Matt Shirvington is our trainer!”
The Saturday rehearsal was coupled with a family BBQ and great moral support from spouses and kids. Will this machine fly?
“We Promise it will at least get airborne come Sunday,” says Ben!
Starleaton Digital Solutions
www.starleaton.com.au
