AstroFlight

Lore & Background

Astro Flight was founded in 1969 by Bob Boucher and Roland Boucher with the goal of developing a high-performance radio controlled sailplane for AMA-certified competition. Their first sailplane, the Malibu, finished third in its first outing in San Jose that same year. In 1970, Bob Boucher used a Malibu to set a closed-course world record for soaring, flying 302 km at Waimanalo Beach, Hawaii. The introduction of the Fournier RF-4 electric R/C airplane in 1971 marked the debut of the world's first practical electric-powered model airplane; Roland Boucher used it to set a world record for duration and distance with a flight of one hour and 29 miles on a single charge, though no official categories for electric flight existed at the time, so neither the AMA nor the FAI recognized the record.

In 1972, the Northrop Corporation awarded Astro Flight a contract to develop a low-altitude electric surveillance drone. Project manager Bob Boucher, along with Roland Boucher and employee Dave Shadel, completed the design in six months, resulting in the Model 7212 flying wing with an 8-foot wingspan powered by three Astro 40 ferrite motors. In August 1973, the 7212 set another unofficial record by carrying a 7.5-pound lead payload over a closed course for an hour and twenty minutes at speeds up to 75 mph. In 1974, Astro Flight was awarded a DARPA contract through Lockheed to build the Sunrise, the world's first solar-powered airplane, which flew on November 4, 1974, at Fort Irwin, California, powered by over a thousand solar cells producing roughly 450 watts.

Reader's Guide

Astro Flight's significance lies in its foundational role in electric and solar-powered aviation. The company produced the world's first practical electric radio controlled model airplane in 1971, and its work on the Sunrise in 1974 produced the first solar-powered aircraft. These achievements directly influenced later human-carrying solar planes: the Gossamer Penguin (1980) used the same 600-watt solar panel and a production version Cobalt 40 motor from Astro Flight, and the Dupont Solar Challenger (1981) used a specially designed 3.5 hp motor. The company's Model 4005 AC/DC battery charger, introduced in 1982, became an industry standard with over 500,000 units produced over the next decade. Today, Astro Flight continues to supply hobbyists with motors, battery chargers, and electronic speed controls, and serves industrial customers with custom brushless motors. Its Astro Model 300 ten-horsepower DC motor was used in the GM Sunraycer experimental solar automobile.

Did You Know?

• Astro Flight's Malibu sailplane finished third in its first competition in 1969.
• The Fournier RF-4 was the world's first practical electric-powered model airplane.
• The Sunrise, built under a DARPA contract, was the world's first solar-powered airplane.
• The Gossamer Penguin used Astro Flight's 600-watt solar panel and Cobalt 40 motor.