HMPAC Puffin

The HMPAC Puffin was a British man-powered aircraft designed by a team headed by John Wimpenny, an aerodynamicist at the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was built by the Hatfield Man Powered Aircraft Club (HMPAC) on the company's premises in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. On 2 May 1962, Wimpenny, aged 39, piloted the Puffin at the Hatfield Aerodrome, pedalling to power the propeller, achieving a flight distance of 995 yd (910 m), a world record which was to stand for ten years. The Puffin had a wingspan of 85 ft (26 m).[1][2]

Puffin
Role Human-Powered Aircraft
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Hatfield Man Powered Aircraft Club (HMPAC)
Designer John Wimpenny
First flight 16 November 1961
Number built 2

Puffin II

An improved version of the Puffin was developed and built in 1965 as the HMPAC Puffin II. First flown on 27 August 1965, the Puffin II utilized the transmission components of the Puffin I in a completely new airframe.

After it had been damaged, the Puffin II airframe was given to Liverpool University, who used it to build the Liverpuffin.

Specifications

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1962–63[3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 20 ft (6.1 m) (excluging nose boom)
  • Wingspan: 84 ft (26 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
  • Wing area: 330 sq ft (31 m2)
  • Empty weight: 118 lb (54 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Human athlete
  • Propellers: 2-bladed wooden, 9 ft (2.7 m) diameter

See also

References
  1. . The Daily Telegraph. 5 May 1962. p. 1. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. . The Daily Guardian. 5 May 1962. p. 1. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Taylor 1962, p. 151.
  • Taylor, John W. R. (1962). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1962–63. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd.

Further reading
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