Lazarus | The Human-Powered Aircraft Without Engines developed by students.

The students, all members of the Southampton University Human Powered Aircraft Society (SUHPA) and led by Engineering student Charles Dhenin, built their aircraft Lazarus which flew for the longest time in the Formula Flight competition, run by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Human Powered Flight Group. Watch on YouTube

The event challenges teams to design, build and fly their own human powered aircraft. The aircraft has to be a new design, be powered exclusively by the muscle power of the pilot, be heavier than air, fly for more than five seconds and finish in good condition so no crash landings are allowed. 


The Southampton team built their aircraft mostly from XPS foam, carbon fibre and balsa wood. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed them down a bit, but eventually they finished Lazarus and made their maiden flight in June 2021.

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