When Zhang Tie leisurely piloted the human-powered aircraft down from the sky and landed steadily, a large crowd immediately swarmed around him.
As citizens of the Horne Republic, the engineers at this glider base felt truly blessed to witness miracle after miracle related to gliders in such a short time.
A few months ago, Zhang Tie had created a miracle here by running. Today, he had created another while seated. Compared to the first, this second miracle was even more exhilarating.
"Can this human-powered aircraft be made any lighter?" Zhang Tie asked the Horne Republic experts as soon as he climbed out.
"We have already used extremely expensive lightweight alloy materials to build this aircraft. Although its outward appearance resembles the Wind Whisperer, we have made extensive optimizations to both its internal and external structure and materials. It was precisely through those optimizations that we were able to add a variable-speed gear assembly and some control mechanisms inside while reducing its weight to 670 kilograms. This is already the limit," one expert explained to Zhang Tie.
Only after hearing that explanation did Zhang Tie learn that, in a nation as passionate about flying as the Horne Republic, people had proposed the concept of human-powered aircraft long ago. Many had dreamed of powering a glider by pedaling as one would a bicycle, turning it into a true human-powered aircraft.
In reality, however, every person who proposed the idea had ultimately failed. There were two main reasons. First, the human-powered aircraft they built were too heavy; almost no one could truly get such aircraft into the air. Second, even if they barely managed to build an exceptionally light human-powered aircraft, its flight performance was utterly like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to throw away. It was worse than a glider,