http://www.gizmag.com/bugatti-100p-replica-first-flight/39045/
The flight that took place on Aug. 19th was simply a short hop down the runway, to check the power required/available and to check control responsiveness. Reve Bleu became airborne at a speed of 90 knots (167 km/h or 104 mph), proceeding to a top speed of 110 knots (204 km/h or 127 mph) and an altitude of 100 ft (30.5 m) above ground level.
It did "float" more than the team anticipated, however, causing it to land farther down the runway than planned. Although there was reportedly still plenty of room in which to stop, the aircrafts right-hand brake gave out, causing it to veer off the runway. Because the ground had been made soft by heavy rains the previous night, Reve Bleu then tipped forward onto its nose, damaging both propellers. The pilot was uninjured.
"Such is the nature of flight testing a new design," the team states. "The relevant news is we successfully flew the Bugatti 100P for the first time. The plane flew beautifully."
You can watch a video of the flight on the team's Facebook page.
Source: The Bugatti 100P Project (Facebook) via Popular Science
The flight that took place on Aug. 19th was simply a short hop down the runway, to check the power required/available and to check control responsiveness. Reve Bleu became airborne at a speed of 90 knots (167 km/h or 104 mph), proceeding to a top speed of 110 knots (204 km/h or 127 mph) and an altitude of 100 ft (30.5 m) above ground level.
It did "float" more than the team anticipated, however, causing it to land farther down the runway than planned. Although there was reportedly still plenty of room in which to stop, the aircrafts right-hand brake gave out, causing it to veer off the runway. Because the ground had been made soft by heavy rains the previous night, Reve Bleu then tipped forward onto its nose, damaging both propellers. The pilot was uninjured.
"Such is the nature of flight testing a new design," the team states. "The relevant news is we successfully flew the Bugatti 100P for the first time. The plane flew beautifully."
You can watch a video of the flight on the team's Facebook page.
Source: The Bugatti 100P Project (Facebook) via Popular Science
