[1] The Hertfordshire Pedal Aeronauts was formed in 1965, mainly from the staff of Handley Page Limited, to design and build a human-powered aircraft and to compete for the Kremer Prize.
[1] Partly funded by a grant from the Royal Aeronautical Society construction began in 1967 and was completed in 1972.
[1] The Toucan is a mid-wing cantilever monoplane with the fuselage a braced structure of spruce and balsa and covered with Melinex.
[1] The wing spars had spruce booms and plywood edges and the ribs were made from balsa and like the fuselage it was covered with Melenix.
[1] The two crew sit in tandem under a transparent removable cover, the power is generated by the two crew using bicycle pedals which were connected by chains to drive the main wheel and via a shaft a two-bladed balsa pusher propeller mounted at the rear of the tail unit.