Man Flies in Homemade Plane. Power Source: 160 AA Batteries

A manned plane powered by conventional batteries took off from Tokyo on Sunday - and flew for 59 seconds. The one-man, glider-like plane took off from a private airport and reached a height of 5.2m (16ft). It was powered by 160 AA batteries, which are commonly used in portable CD players and cameras. ... "I was careful at take-off as it was very difficult," said pilot Tomohiro Kamiya, a senior member at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He added: "As it soared 5m, people on the ground looked so small to me. - bbc