Built specially to compete for the Kremer prize of £5,000 for man-powered flight. A single seat, fixed wing monoplane with the propellor driven by pedalling. Employees of the de Havilland Aircraft Company’s Puffin flew in November 1961 from Hatfield aerodrome. Puffin was with transparent Melinex covering and extreme dihedral on its 25.6 m (84 ft) wings. Its pilot, Jim Phillips, by the end of the year had flown the craft up to 686 m (750 ft) and made turns through 8o degrees. On 4 May 1962 Hatfield Man Powered Aircraft Club chairman John Wimpenny flew the Puffin 908 m (993 yards). He was awarded a £50 prize for his record 805 m (880 yard) flight.
Construction was metal tube with balsa for the non-load carrying areas with Mellinex covering. A single main wheel undercarriage with a jockey wheel at the tail were fitted.
It crashed after ninety flights at Hatfield in April 1964 and was rebuilt as the Puffin II.
The Puffin II was an entirely new design wing of greater span and having a different Airfoil section. It flew for about another ninety flights at Hatfield until it collided with some ground equipment there in 1969 and was wrecked.
Liverpool University MPAG bought the remains and they were used in their ‘Liverpuffin’.
Puffin I
Wingspan: 84.00 ft
Wing area: 380 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 21:1
Empty weight: 140 lb
Puffin II
Wingspan: 93.00 ft
Wing area: 390 sq.ft
Aspect ratio: 22:1
Empty weight: 140 lb
All Aero 