Osaka University Tailless Aircraft Circle albatross enters 46th Japan International Birdman Rally

The Osaka University Tailless Aircraft Circle albatross entered the 46th Japan International Birdman Rally, which was held in Lake Biwa on Saturday, July 27, 2024.

Although the team wasn’t able to win a prize at the rally, their ingenious cheering in the scorching heat got both the team and the audience excited, granting the team the Supporter Award.

The Birdman Rally is a competition in which participants compete for flight distance with their homebuilt aircraft and OU’s aircraft circle albatross entered the human-powered propeller aircraft division.

The team entered the Birdman Rally 8 times and their longest flight distance was 659.49m (unofficial record) in the 2014 rally. They participated in the rally for the first time in 6 years, breaking their record.

Results – Human-Powered Propeller Aircraft Division (15 teams)

1st Place -- Tohoku University Windnauts (21,823.69m)
2nd Place -- Waseda University Aeronautics Club WASA (Waseda university Aeronautics ＆ Space Association) (15,646,60m)
3rd Place -- Tokyo Institute of Technology Meister (14,207.46m)
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6th Place -- Osaka University albatross (3,930.03m)

Team captain ABO Ryohei provided the following comments on the team’s performance at the rally.

“Despite a 6-year gap since our last appearance at the rally, we flew a distance of 3930m, breaking our previous record. Although the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues didn’t allow for a smooth transition in our club, this year, our former members helped us greatly improve our planning and making skills. While we weren't quite able to reach our 10km goal, we achieved steady-state flight, gathering lots of data and experience to clarify points for improvement and laying the groundwork for further growth. We hope you will continue to support us."

The television broadcast of the rally has already ended, but you can watch the team’s impressive performance both on demand and on YouTube.

Thank you for your continued support.