Pedal-Powered Plane to Go for Distance Mark at Dawn Today

In the still, cold dawn of Edwards Air Force Base this morning, a team of students, faculty and alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will attempt to set a new distance record for human-powered flight.

Their goal is to fly at least 25 miles, which would eclipse the record of 22 miles set in 1979 by Bryan Allen when he pedaled the Gossamer Albatross across the English Channel.

The record attempt, set for 7 a.m., will not be open to spectators because it will take place in a secured area that is never open to the public, according to NASA officials at Edwards.

Lois McCallin was originally scheduled to make the attempt. But preliminary flight tests at Edwards indicated that keeping the plane aloft requires more power than had been predicted, and she became fatigued more quickly than expected.

So it will be backup pilot Glenn Tremml who will attempt to pedal the Michelob Light Eagle 2 1/2 times around the triangular 10-mile course.

McCallin did, however, establish three human-powered flight records on Wednesday morning in a 10-mile, 37-minute, 38-second flight: the longest flight on a closed course; longest flight on a closed course by a woman, and longest time of flight by a woman.

She did not break any records because no one has previously applied to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) for certification of records in those categories.

McCallin, a senior programmer and analyst for Fidelity Systems Co. of Boston., completed the flight with relative ease, and said she was “relieved” that it was over “because of all the anticipation that had been building up.”

McCallin, 30, also said that she could have continued flying for a short period, but that she did not think she could have completed a second circuit of the course.

The increased power requirement is not expected to be a problem for Tremml, said the team’s physiologist, Ethan R. Nadel of Yale University.

Over the weekend, Tremml flew the 88-pound Eagle 13 miles in 45 minutes without becoming seriously fatigued. That flight did not set a record because there were no FAI observers present and he did not take off unassisted.

Tremml, 26, is a first-year medical student at the University of Connecticut. He learned of the MIT project during a chat with Nadel, who told him that project officials were looking for athletes who also know how to fly.

Tremml’s hobby, like McCallin’s, is competing in international triathlons, in which participants swim 1 mile, cycle 25 miles, and run 6.2 miles. His best time is two hours, two minutes. McCallin’s is two hours, 30 minutes.

McCallin and Tremml are both experienced pilots, which is a prerequisite since maneuvering the plane requires piloting skills.

The team plans to use information gained from the Eagle to construct an even lighter plane that they hope to fly 69 miles, from the island of Crete to the mainland of Greece, perhaps in the fall.