As part of the British Human Powered Flying Club's 2026 Icarus Cup competition, six pedal powered aircraft took to the skies, making Lasham airfield the home of the highest concentration of human powered aircraft (HPA) in Europe, ever.

The Magpie aircraft was designed and built over the course of five years by one Kit Buchanan - who set several records in the UK HPA scene, including for endurance (which remains unbroken as of posting). The majority of the aircraft is 3D printed, including printed cores around which carbon fiber is laid up, wing spars, wing ribs, wing leading and trailing edges, mounting hardware, the propeller, and various aerodynamic fairings. Kit predominantly used Nylon filaments with carbon fiber fillings for structural members, and non-structural aerodynamic elements such as wing tips or fairings were printed using an expanding PLA foam.

Parts that are not printed include the clear mylar covering the rear of the wing sections, metal parts that join the wing sections, the power train from pedal crank to the propeller shaft, the seat, and the fly by wire controls - although many of their housings or mounting points are.

Magpie's maiden flight lasted just one second, a consequence of a number of power train issues that could not be resolved in time for the conclusion of the competition. Personally, I've no doubt that these problems are easily addressed and fully expect Magpie to make a splash at the next Icarus Cup. If you dig about in the BHPFC facebook/instagram reels you can sort of get a look at some of the construction techniques and details in the Magpie walkaround. Magpie's BOM is somewhere in the neighbourhood of £7,000, not including labour. I've a lot on my plate at the moment but I do expect at some point to produce a video taking a deeper dive into Magpie's overall construction. Kit also has some Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) lectures you can lookup that talk a little bit more about the journey he went on, if you are interested.

The world's first majority 3D printed and piloted aircraft takes flight