The Spirit of Butts' Farm explained

The Spirit of Butts' Farm (also known as TAM 5) was the first model aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean on August 11, 2003. The aircraft was launched from Cape Spear (47.5203°N -89.428°W) near St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and landed at Mannin Beach (53.441°N -17.892°W) near Clifden, Ireland 38.9 hours later.[1] It was recognized by the FAI as a double world record flight for its duration of 38h 52 min 19 sec[2] and straight-line distance of 1881.6miles using an autopilot,[3] and using the Argos System for telemetry to track the flight's progress;[4] the team's use of technology also spurred the FAI to create new record categories.[5] The aircraft was controlled by autopilot for >99% of the flight in a manner similar to that used by the Insitu Aerosonde UAV "Laima" that crossed the Atlantic in 1998. The flight used 99.2% of its fuel and left only (or 44 minutes of flight time) remaining when it reached its destination.[6]

The aircraft was built by a team led by Maynard Hill, a retired metallurgist. Hill had previously set 25 model airplane records[7] [8] and was inducted into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame in 1977. The Spirit of Butts' Farm was the 25th of 28 airframes[9] the team had built in the attempt to cross the Atlantic; the five best models were selected for actual transatlantic flight attempts. The 25th airframe was the fifth selected for the record attempt and was redesignated TAM-5. Later, describing his reaction to learning that the flight had been successful, Hill said, "I just grabbed my wife, hugged her and cried like a baby."[6]

The aircraft was named after R. Beecher Butts, an aviation enthusiast who allowed the use of his farm for testing of the aircraft. The name echoes that of the Spirit of St. Louis, the aircraft used by Charles Lindbergh in his transatlantic flight. The aircraft is on display at the National Model Aviation Museum. A backup plane for the transatlantic effort is in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum.[6]

An article on the flight can be found in the October 2003 edition of Model Aviation Canada magazine.

Name: TAM-5
Weight: Dry: 2.705kg (05.964lb); Fully fueled: 4.987kg (10.994lb)[10]
Time: 38 hours, 52 minutes, 19 seconds[11]
Start time: 2003-08-09 22:15:41 UTC (chosen for favorable Atlantic weather and to arrive during Irish daylight)
End time: 2003-08-11 13:08:00 UTC
Distance: 1881.6miles
Flight Altitude: Approx. 1000feet
Fuel tank: Approx. 118USoz
Fuel: Coleman lantern fuel with 16USoz of Indopol L-50 lubricant additive per 10NaN0. Single fuel tank in the fuselage at the CG point [12] (normal: alcohol)
Engine: O.S. Engines FS-61 0.61 cubic inch (10cc) four-stroke, CH Ignition CDI spark ignition system, carburetor from a "PET" O.S. 0.10 two-stroke engine
Engine modifications: Smaller valves in engine, custom carburetor mounted remotely, triple fuel filtration down to 1 micron, pressurized fuel tank using crankcase pressure, custom power takeoff to run electronics
Cruising speed: 42mph, the transatlantic flight had an average ground speed of 48mph including tailwinds
Size: Wingspan 72.1inches, Length 74inches[13]
Propeller: Zinger wooden propeller, 14inches diameter, 12inches pitch with trailing edge sanded to razor sharpness, ~3900 RPM
[14] The Society for Technical Aeromodel Research (S.T.A.R.) was organized to help support the costs of the project.[15]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Hill. Maynard. Progress Report XV From the President Maynard Hill. 2013-09-19. STAR News - Society for Technical Aeromodel Research. October 2003. Dible, Joe. Molloy, John.
  2. Web site: Fai Record File. fai.org. 14 September 2015.
  3. Web site: Fai Record File. fai.org. 14 September 2015.
  4. Record Setting Transatlantic Flight. Model Airplane News. January 2004. 88.
  5. Web site: FAI WORLD RECORDS : NEW CATEGORY FOR AEROMODELLING F8 - Autonomous flight. FAI. 18 September 2013. 2006-09-14. At its 2005 Plenary Meeting, the FAI Aeromodelling Commission (CIAM) recognized that new technology underlying autonomous flight was available and had been demonstrated by the World Records ratified in the names of Messrs Maynard L. HILL, Barrett J. FOSTER and David G. BROWN during their flight across the Atlantic Ocean. It was agreed that new record categories would need to be set up, and the new record structure was adopted by CIAM at its 2006 Plenary Meeting.The new F8 category (Autonomous flight) is now available for consultation on FAI World Records Internet pages and the following World Records have been reclassified from F3 to F8 : Record number 7882, Formerly : F3-142, Now : F8-908Record number 7883, Formerly : F3-141, Now : F8-907.
  6. News: Brown . Emma . Model airplane history-maker Maynard Hill dies at the age of 85 . Washington Post . 9 June 2011 . 9 June 2011.
  7. Web site: Brooks. Chris. Aeromodeling legend Maynard Hill, 1926‐2011. Academy of Model Aeronautics. 18 September 2013.
  8. Web site: FAI Record Search Results. FAI. 18 September 2013.
  9. Web site: Frequently Asked Questions. Society for Technical Aeromodel Research. 2013-09-17. 2003-11-05. 2012-07-14. https://archive.today/20120714205657/http://tam.plannet21.com/FAQs.htm. dead.
  10. Web site: Hill. Maynard. Application for World Record Confirmation Model Aircraft FAI-CIAM F3-141 Duration Radio Controlled Aeromodel Piston Powered August 9-11, 2003. Barrett J. Foster . David G. Brown . 2.
  11. Web site: Hill. Maynard. Two Sunsets & Still Flying. Model Aviation. 17 September 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130911093946/http://www.modelaircraft.org/MAG/mhill/hillindex.htm. 11 September 2013.
  12. Web site: Atlantic crossing by TAM 5. Barnard Microsystems Limited. 17 September 2013. 21 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130921114811/http://www.barnardmicrosystems.com/L4E_atlantic_crossing_II.htm#Technical. dead.
  13. Bell. Rick. Record-Setting Transatlantic Flight. Model Airplane News. January 2004. 132. 1. 84–88. https://web.archive.org/web/20111012035044/http://aerospaceindustrynews.webs.com/Model%20Airplane%20News.pdf. 2011-10-12. 17 September 2013.
  14. Web site: Science News for Kids: Feature: Model Plane Flies the Atlantic. 2008-06-16. 2013-09-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20130911083825/http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20031217/Feature1.asp. dead. 080205 sciencenewsforkids.org
  15. Web site: STAR. https://web.archive.org/web/20030212113424/http://www.dc-rc.org/STAR.HTM. 2003-02-12.