Crossing the English Channel is one of the more prestigious sporting exploits known to man and a Frenchman named Stephane Rousson will attempt to achieve the feat later today when he pedals his 16-metre long airship across the 55 kilometer wide stretch of water. The sports enthusiast and pilot has been preparing for the trip for the past four years and seems quite confident on being only the second successful man to make the airborne journey, the first being US cyclist Brian Allen who crossed over the channel in a 25kg Gossamer Albatross designed by the late Paul McCready in 1979 and won the Kremer Prize from the Human Powered Aircraft Group of the Royal Aeronautical Society with his accomplishment. Rousson hopes to make it across the water in about five hours’ time slung under the blimp in a semi-recumbent style bicycle frame that propels the aircraft forward. With two large propellers on each side, the craft should ideally be hovering 30 meters above the water and given that many such attempts in the past have failed due to the weight of the materials, we sincerely hope the 39-year old is successful in his endeavor.
Source: Treehugger
