The Weybridge Man Powered Aircraft (also known as Dumbo and later Mercury) is a British single-seat man-powered aircraft built and flown by members of the Weybridge Man Powered Aircraft Group.[1]
| Weybridge Man Powered Aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Role | Single-seat man-powered aircraft Type of aircraft |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Weybridge Man Powered Aircraft Group |
| First flight | 18 September 1971 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Weybridge Man Powered Aircraft Group was formed in late 1967 with members drawn from the British Aircraft Corporation factory and the local chapter of the Royal Aeronautical Society.[1] Construction started in 1968 and the aircraft was assembled at Wisley and flown for the first time from Weybridge on 18 September 1971.[1] The Weybridge MPA (which was named Dumbo) was flown by Christopher Lovell for a distance of 46 metres with a height reached of 3 ft (0.9m).[1] Only two flights were made at Weybridge and the aircraft was passed to another group at RAF Cranwell who renamed it Mercury.
The aircraft is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a fuselage made from aluminium alloy tubing with balsa frames and covered with Melinex.[1] The wing has a single warren-girder main spar of aluminium alloy tubing with balsa ribs and, like the fuselage, covered with Melinex.[1] The landing gear was a non-retractable tricycle arrangement using bicycle wheels.[1] The power is generated by the pilot in an enclosed cockpit using bicycle pedals driving a two-bladed balsa pusher propeller.[1]
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1973-74[1]
General characteristics
Performance
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