Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Boeing Flies Hummingbird to a Record

Boeing successfully flew its A160T Hummingbird UAV (unmanned rotocraft to be exact) for 18.7 hours on May 14-15, claiming an unofficial world record for endurance of a UAC weighing between 1,102 and 5,511 pounds. So is that like saying I stood on my head for the longest time for a male between 186-200 pounds? Maybe, but nonetheless, congrats Boeing.

During the flight at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in southwestern Arizona, the turbine-powered aircraft carried a 300-pound payload at altitudes up to 15,000 feet, landing with better than 90 minutes of fuel in reserve. The flight began May 14 at 8:55 p.m. (PST) and ended May 15 at 3:36 p.m.

Check out the sweet hi-res shot of the Hummingbird above.

Home to PointNiner

No comments: