Engineering enthusiast James Whomsley (UK), known for his YouTube channel ProjectAir with almost half a million subscribers, has created the world’s largest remote-controlled (RC) model aircraft carrier, measuring 5.02 metres (16.46 ft).
Not only did he build the carrier, but he also successfully landed two planes on it, setting another record for the first RC model airplane take-off and landing on a RC model aircraft carrier.
It took James three months of planning and building to complete the aircraft carrier.
He constructed the hull using foam and used wood for the deck, strengthening it with a fibreglass skin. To make it watertight, he applied expanding foam along the hull’s inner seams.
Learning to fly and land the model planes presented another set of challenges for James, resulting in several crashes during practise.
By installing FPV (first-person view) camera systems into the planes, the process of piloting was made a lot easier.
The three aircraft he used were ‘ready-to-fly’ models which he modified with arrestor gear, designed to snag on the aircraft carrier’s arresting cables to rapidly decelerate the planes.
Once the aircraft carrier was fully constructed, James took it to Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire to test it out.
The carrier floated when placed upon the water, qualifying it for the record title of largest remote-controlled (RC) model aircraft carrier.
However, James still had to successfully land a plane on it to achieve the world’s first RC model airplane take-off and landing on a RC model aircraft carrier.
Although the carrier is the largest remote-controlled one ever made, it is still a relatively small target to land a fast-moving plane on. James narrowly missed several times before successfully landing the first plane on the carrier’s deck.
However, the second plane did not enjoy the same fate, ultimately crashing into the water after several attempts at landing.
James attributed the failure to his vision through the FPV camera being obstructed by the plane’s cockpit.
James’s third and final plane was the most challenging to land; it was larger and more advanced than the previous two, the view through the FPV camera was worse, and James had never flown it before.
Despite hitting the carrier’s miniature air traffic control tower, James successfully landed the third plane without damaging it.
With two of the three planes safely landing on the carrier, James did more than enough to earn the record.
He said: “To have this idea, and then it actually work, that’s amazing.”
Having previously set a record for the fastest speed achieved by a remote controlled (RC) jet powered car, James now has three Guinness World Records titles to his name. With many more ideas for record-breaking remote-controlled vehicles, it’s surely only a matter of time before he earns another.
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