Backtalk 3/22/2012
Superheroes take to the skies in New York City
Superheroes flying over New York? Sounds like a scene from a movie, right? Well, pretty close. The “human forms” that flew over New York City, passed alongside the Brooklyn Bridge, flew past the Statue of Liberty, and even performed some loops, were part of a viral- marketing campaign. To promote a movie, three remote-controlled aircraft that look like people were flown by ground-based operators. The RC people are marketed by rcsuperhero.com. The company offers full-scale RcSuperhero 78-in. show-plane plans and kits, and hand-tossed gliders shaped as flying people.
The RC version has an arm span of 47 in., stands about 78-in. tall, weighs about 3.3 lb, and costs a few hundred dollars as a kit. The units are electric-motor driven and manage more than 5 lb of thrust from a 12-in. propeller. The thrust-to-weight ratio makes vertical performance possible. Basic radio-control hardware is required. Prior to the New York stint, the pilots practiced at a location on Long Island.