Boffin Coffin / HPA Toucan / Stork
Posted by Unlucky-Debt5467@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 11 comments
Some obscure man powered aircraft, Personally I see no wing flapping mechanisms on Boffin Coffin, And if it was an ornithopter then the UTIAS Snowbird wouldn't have been the first, Either they misunderstood or there's a hidden propeller somewhere in the Coffin, If not then it's probably a prototype with no working systems whatsoever
Will_at_Worlds_End@reddit
Wow, that first photo brings back memories! I knew Don Walther, the designer/builder of the "Boffin Coffin". The plane was tested in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1987. The pilot lay in a prone position and pedalled to turn a wooden, fixed-pitch, three-bladed pusher propeller. Made a few short towed flights, but it wasn't able to take off under its own power, unfortunately.
KokoTheTalkingApe@reddit
I wonder why the cyclist/powerplant isn't recumbent in the Toucan and Stork (and Gossamer Condor and Albatross). There's less cross-sectional area so there's less drag (which is why recumbent bicycles are faster and more efficient). And you can push against the back rest, where in a regular bike you can only push against your own weight. Maybe that doesn't matter in this application though.
brigadoom@reddit
The last picture looks like the Gossamer Condor, which won a big cash prize for being so successful. I think it flew across the English Channel, powered only by a very fit human.
brigadoom@reddit
Oops, it was the Gossamer Albatross that was the first to cross the English Channel, but with the same very fit cyclist/pilot
Unlucky-Debt5467@reddit (OP)
I've read all about that, A bit unfair that MacReady won almost the Kremer Prizes, The last is the Stork, A Japanese HPA
brigadoom@reddit
I had never heard of the Stork before. I wonder if I was confusing it with an image seen in an old TV show about the Gossamer Albatross, which was on UK news programmes back when it crossed the English Channel.
It's also a bit odd that this image is on Wikimedia, but there's no article on it, just a link to the pic.
For anyone else that might be interested, the Stork flew 2km in 1976 and 2093.9m in 1977, in a straight line (presumably) and the 1st Kremer prize was a specific figure of 8 loop.
If anyone feels like creating a Wiki page for the Stork, you could start on this page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human-powered_aircraft and reference this Wordpress article: https://japanesehpa.wordpress.com/2025/11/25/the-chief-designer-of-a-70s-masterpiece-wooden-hpa-stork-will-give-an-hpa-lecture-on-6-dec-2025/
dirty_hooker@reddit
That Stork design is wild and beautiful. Must’ve been planned for a very short flight if there’s no room to sit up in the saddle.
Zcube73@reddit
looks like a complete and utter death trap
Unlucky-Debt5467@reddit (OP)
If you got hit by the Toucan though...
AtomiqueFuture@reddit
The Boffin is a pusher prop, you can barely see the propeller at the rear.
Unlucky-Debt5467@reddit (OP)
Sharp eye you got there!