AstroFlight
Pioneer of electric and solar-powered model aircraft.
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AstroFlight, Incorporated makes products for electric-powered radio controlled aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, brushless industrial motors, the first solar-powered aircraft, and the first practical electric radio controlled model airplane. The company is based in Irvine, California.
Bob Boucher and Roland Boucher founded the company in 1969. Their aim was to build a high-performance radio controlled sailplane for AMA-certified competition. That first sailplane, the Malibu, placed third in its first contest in San Jose later that year.
In 1970, Bob Boucher used a Malibu to set a closed-course world record for soaring, flying 302 km at Waimanalo Beach, Hawaii. In 1971, the company introduced the Fournier RF-4 electric R/C airplane, the world’s first practical electric-powered model. Roland Boucher flew it to set a world record for duration and distance—one hour and 29 miles on a single charge—but because no official categories for electric flight existed, neither the AMA nor the FAI recognized it.
In 1972, Northrop Corporation gave Astro Flight a contract to develop a low-altitude electric surveillance drone. Project manager Bob Boucher, Roland Boucher, and their sole employee Dave Shadel finished the design in six months. The result was the Model 7212 flying wing, with an 8-foot wingspan powered by three Astro 40 ferrite motors, each turning a three-blade 8x8 propeller. In August 1973, the 7212 set another unofficial record, carrying a 7.5-pound lead payload over a closed course for one hour and twenty minutes at speeds up to 75 mph.
The world's first solar-powered airplane
In 1974, through Lockheed, DARPA awarded Astro Flight a contract to build the Sunrise, the world’s first solar-powered airplane. The historic flight, powered only by sunlight, took place on November 4, 1974, at Fort Irwin, California. Two Astro 40 ferrite motors drove a 36x24 wood propeller through a 6:1 gearbox. More than a thousand solar cells on the wing produced roughly 450 watts.
The craft weighed 27 pounds with a 32-foot wingspan and had a service ceiling of 20,000 feet, depending on sunlight. In 1975, Roland Boucher left the company, and a windstorm damaged Sunrise I. That same year, the improved Sunrise II was built in three months. Its maiden flight was on September 27, 1975, at Nellis AFB. It used a single Astro Flight Cobalt 40 motor powered by 4,480 solar cells outputting 600 watts.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 1969
- Founders
- Bob Boucher and Roland Boucher
- Headquarters
- Irvine, California, US
- First product
- Malibu sailplane
- First electric model
- Fournier RF-4 (1971)
- First solar aircraft
- Sunrise (1974)
- Notable motor
- Astro 4005 AC/DC battery charger (1982)
Facts from the source article.
Founding & the Birth of Electric Flight
Astroflight, Incorporated was established in 1969 by brothers Bob and Roland Boucher in what would become a defining chapter in the history of radio-controlled aviation. Their original ambition was straightforward yet ambitious: to design and build a high-performance RC sailplane competitive enough for AMA-sanctioned events. Their first creation, the Malibu, proved its worth almost immediately, placing third in its very first competitive outing in San Jose that same year. The following year, Bob Boucher piloted a Malibu to a closed-course world soaring record of 302 kilometers at Waimanalo Beach in Hawaii.
In 1971, the company introduced the Fournier RF-4, widely regarded as the first practical electric-powered model airplane. Roland Boucher then flew it for a full hour and 29 miles on a single charge, a feat that would have set a world record for duration and distance had official electric-flight categories existed. Because neither the AMA nor the FAI had established such categories, the achievement went unrecognized by governing bodies, yet it cemented Astroflight's reputation as a trailblazer in electric propulsion.
The Northrop Drone Contract
In 1972, Astroflight took a significant step beyond the hobbyist world when Northrop Corporation awarded the company a contract to develop a low-altitude electric surveillance drone. The project was led by Bob Boucher, with Roland Boucher and their sole employee, Dave Shadel, completing the entire design in just six months. The resulting aircraft, designated Model 7212, was a flying wing with an eight-foot wingspan, powered by three of Astroflight's own Astro 40 ferrite motors, each driving a three-blade 8x8 propeller.
The drone's capabilities were demonstrated in August 1973 when it carried a 7.5-pound lead payload over a closed course for an hour and twenty minutes, reaching speeds of up to 75 miles per hour. This unofficial endurance record underscored the practical potential of electric propulsion in military reconnaissance applications and showcased a small three-person team's ability to deliver a sophisticated, mission-capable aircraft on a remarkably tight timeline. The 7212 remains a landmark example of early UAV engineering and helped establish the company's credibility in defense-adjacent work.
From Solar Dreams to Industry Standards
Astroflight's influence extended well beyond its own aircraft. In 1979, DuPont backed Dr. Paul MacCready's project to build a human-carrying solar plane, and the resulting Gossamer Penguin—first flown on May 16, 1980, in Shafter, California—relied on the same 600-watt solar panel that had powered Sunrise II, paired with a production Cobalt 40 motor. The success of that flight convinced DuPont to fund an even bolder endeavor: crossing the English Channel. The Dupont Solar Challenger carried 16,128 solar cells capable of 4,000 watts at altitude and used a specially designed 3.5-horsepower motor turning at 9,000 rpm through a 22:1 belt-drive reduction.
On July 7, 1981, pilot Steve Ptacek carried the dream across the Channel from Pontoise, France, to Manston RAF base in Kent, England. Meanwhile, back in the hobbyist world, Astroflight's Model 4005 AC/DC battery charger, debuted at the 1982 Toledo R/C Show, became an industry standard with over 500,000 units sold in the following decade. The company's ten-horsepower Astro Model 300 DC motor even found its way into the GM Sunraycer experimental solar automobile, proving that small-company engineering could ripple across entire industries.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: AstroFlight (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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