Super-Heroes Fly Over New York City (With Video)

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Key Takeaways:

  • Mysterious "human forms" seen flying over iconic New York City landmarks were actually remote-controlled aircraft used as part of a viral marketing campaign for a movie.
  • These RC "superhero" planes, designed to look like flying people, are commercially available products from rcsuperhero.com, sold as plans and kits.
  • The RC aircraft are about 78 inches tall, weigh 3.3 pounds, and are powered by an electric motor providing enough thrust for vertical flight, requiring only basic radio control hardware for an average RC pilot.
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What appeared to be human forms recently seen flying over New York city made passes along the Brooklyn bridge, flew past the Statue of Liberty, and some even performed loops — they were also part of a viral marketing campaign. To promote a movie, three remote-controlled aircraft designed to look like flying people were flown by ground-based operators. The illusion is at least surreal and at most rather convincing. The RC people design is a product marketed by rcsuperhero.com, which offers “full scale RcSuperhero 78-inch show plane plans and kits, as well as hand tossed gliders shaped as flying people.”

The RC version has an arm span of 47 inches, stands about 78 inches tall, weighs about 3.3 pounds and costs a few hundred dollars as a kit. It is driven by an electric motor that manages more than five pounds of thrust from a 12-inch propeller. The thrust-to-weight ratio makes vertical performance possible. Basic radio control hardware is required. According to the designer, “Any average RC pilot can fly this.”Before the New York, stunt, the pilots practiced at a location on Long Island.

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