College student unofficially breaks world record for fastest jet-powered drone with 491 mph aircraft built in his dorm

A new 'Reaper' jet-powered drone project just unofficially broke the previous drone speed world record of 465 mph by hitting 491 mph. Tomas Salvo is an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech, and his project was assembled in his dorm room. The drone is comprised of a custom-molded carbon fiber shell, laser-cut internal structure, and a 250N jet engine with a titanium 3D-printed nozzle, costing $13,000 to build. Tomas Salvo aims to win the $800,000 Boom Prize posted by Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl.

Tomas Salvo’s Reaper project, which aimed to beat Niels Herbrich’s world record for the fastest jet-powered RC aircraft, went viral and caught the attention of Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl, who sponsors the $800,000 Boom Prize ($750,000 cash, $50,000 Boom stock). The prize’s conditions are: First, pass Mach 1 for at least 5 seconds while climbing or level, not descending. Second, it must be an air-breathing aircraft with no on-board oxidizers or rockets for propulsion. Third, it must land intact, and lastly, the same aircraft (wings, fuselage, engine, and flight computer) must fly twice in one day. The participants must be individuals or teams, not corporations or people backed by venture capitalists or government funding; they want garage hobbyists.

We recently covered Mach Initiative’s Kingchaser, a 3D-printed jet-powered RC aircraft also aimed at beating Herbrich’s world record. They were beaten by Tomas Salvo, but Tomas’ run was not officially recorded by Guinness. The Kingchaser project was inspired by the Boom Prize; however, since they are not US citizens, they are not eligible to win it, but are still aiming to have an officially recorded Guinness World Record. The Reaper has a smaller engine than the Kingchaser at only 250N, compared to the Kingchaser’s 300N, but achieved a flight speed of 491 mph, beating the Kingchaser’s test flight of only 273 mph, as the latter did not have enough space to accelerate. However, Mach Initiative estimates a top speed of 550 mph if they had the space.

While the Reaper isn’t made out of PETG like the Kingchaser, it still utilizes some 3D printing, albeit in a much more expensive fashion — it has a titanium 3D-printed nozzle for its engine that replaces the stock nozzle, allowing the engine to sit further forward, improving the center of gravity without adding ballast on the front, weighing in at a total of 11 pounds. It’s made out of custom-molded carbon fiber on the outside with a laser-cut internal structure, all designed by Tomas Salvo and assembled in his dorm.

The Reaper was able to achieve its 491 mph speed while carrying a 1.2kg payload, with Tomas’ post further explaining that it could hold the speed for four minutes on a full tank, climb to 6,500 feet in under 20 seconds, and fly for a distance of 31 miles at full speed.

Before the Boom Prize, Tomas was able to land a few sponsorships that got him a JetCat 250N engine; however, we’re not sure how this fits with the Boom Prize’s rules barring corporate sponsorship. Since the Boom Prize's announcement, however, Tomas has resorted to crowdfunding, asking for $50,000 in August after raising $20,000, the source of which he did not disclose.

Both the Kingchaser and the Reaper are aiming at Herbrich’s world record, but they are still far from the 1,234.8 km/h or 767.3 mph Mach 1 speed that they need to surpass in order to win the Boom Prize. Mach Initiative responded to Blake Scholl’s X post about the Boom Prize, saying “challenge accepted,” but the rules may make them ineligible for the prize, making the Reaper a real contender for the $800,000, as it currently sits unrivaled by any other US project.

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