The Spirit of Butts' Farm

Lore & Background

The Spirit of Butts' Farm was built by a team led by Maynard Hill, a retired metallurgist who had previously set 25 model airplane records and was inducted into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame in 1977. The aircraft was the 25th of 28 airframes the team built in their attempt to cross the Atlantic; the five best models were selected for actual transatlantic flight attempts, and the 25th airframe was the fifth selected and redesignated TAM-5. The aircraft was named after R. Beecher Butts, an aviation enthusiast who allowed the use of his farm for testing, echoing the name of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis.

The flight was controlled by autopilot for more than 99% of the journey, using the Argos System for telemetry to track progress. The team's use of technology spurred the FAI to create new record categories. The aircraft used 99.2% of its fuel, leaving only 1.5 US fl oz (or 44 minutes of flight time) remaining upon landing. Upon learning the flight was successful, Hill said, 'I just grabbed my wife, hugged her and cried like a baby.'

Reader's Guide

The Spirit of Butts' Farm holds significance as the first model aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean, a feat that had been attempted by the team across 28 airframes. Its flight was recognized by the FAI as a double world record for duration (38h 52 min 19 sec) and straight-line distance (1881.6 mi). The aircraft's use of an autopilot for the vast majority of the flight, similar to the Insitu Aerosonde UAV 'Laima' that crossed the Atlantic in 1998, and the Argos System for telemetry, prompted the FAI to create new record categories for such technology. The aircraft is on display at the National Model Aviation Museum, while a backup plane from the transatlantic effort is in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum. The Society for Technical Aeromodel Research (S.T.A.R.) was organized to help support the project's costs. An article on the flight appears in the October 2003 edition of Model Aviation Canada magazine.

Did You Know?

• The aircraft was the 25th of 28 airframes built by the team for the transatlantic attempt.
• The aircraft is named after R. Beecher Butts, who allowed his farm to be used for testing.