Boris Ivanovich Cheranovsky · Soviet Union · Interwar (1919–1938)
Open in interactive gallery →See aircraft like this on the live radar →The Chyeranovskii BICh-18 Muskulyot is an experimental Soviet man-powered ornithopter designed and built by Boris Ivanovich Cheranovsky. The BiCH-18 was a lightweight wooden construction biplane with two pairs of high aspect ratio wings moved by muscle power. It was first flown in 1937 by R.A. Pischuchev as a glider with the wings locked and launched by cable. On the fourth test the wings were operated by the pedals and a glide of 430 m (470 yd) was achieved.