human powered aircraft Definition and 1 Threads

A human-powered aircraft (HPA) is an aircraft belonging to the class of vehicles known as human-powered transport.
As its name suggests, HPAs have the pilot not only steer, but power the aircraft (usually propeller-driven) by means of a system similar to a bicycle or tricycle: a pair of pedals, moved by the pilot's feet that turns a gear, which then moves a bicycle chain, which then rotates a smaller gear, which turns a vertical shaft that either turns a set of bevel gears, which turns another, horizontal shaft that ultimately turns a propeller, or in the case of earlier prototypes, an ornithopter mechanism.
Often, a hybrid system is used; where during a certain amount of time pedaling, it would charge a battery, which would, at the push of a button, power an electric motor that is connected to the same horizontal shaft as the propeller.
Human-powered aircraft have been successfully flown over considerable distances. However, they are still primarily constructed as engineering challenges rather than for any kind of recreational or utilitarian purpose.

View More On Wikipedia.org