Three teenagers from Fowey became those magnificent kids and their unmanned flying machine last week when they took their school project for its maiden flight.
Tom Madgwick and Lewis Brown, both 14, and Rhonan Fitzpatrick, 13, have been working on their Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) for the past six months, and on June 24, the vehicle took to the air for its first pre-programmed mission.
Using a Google Earth ground station in a laptop which is then linked to a small computer within the aircraft, once manually launched, the UAV will then fly along the set course without any human control.
To complete the project the three students also had to make sure the aircraft was capable of being controlled via a traditional radio control method, and then learn all about the fundamentals of aerodynamics, electrical power systems, GPS, and computer interfacing.
The technology being used has a number of different uses and should set the students in good stead for the future.
Science Teacher, Aaron Barrett, said: "Predictions are that in 20 years time 40% of all flights will be made by unpiloted aircraft, so it is great to see these students working with such cutting edge technology that really will shape the future."
The next step for the trio is to attach a camera and other survey applications to the UAV.
Tom Madgwick, 14, said: "We could use this for applications like mapping and surveying areas of land."
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