Microsoft’s human-powered airplane aims for Flugtag record

Posted By: Bharat BhushanSharma | Aug 19 2010

It’s not an out of the box idea, but for us, this idea of flying machine from Microsoft and its employees, certainly seems exciting. The human-powered airplane isn’t a commercial grade human-powered aircraft, but is only a creative flyer, which Microsoft employees will use to compete at this Saturday’s Red Bull-sponsored Flugtag competition in California. Using the Windows Project Phoenix glider as it is called, the Microsoft team wishes to beat the Flugtag’s distance record of 207 feet, which this craft would try and achieve when it is pushed off a ramp 30 feet above water. The Windows Project Phoenix glider can carry 450 pounds of payload, and is made at a cost of $1000 in lightweight wings, old windsurf masts wrapped in carbon fiber and recycled plastic soda bottles.