The BURD II was a two-place human-powered biplane, designed and built by graduates and undergraduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
[1] Further changes included the fuselage having a full frontal fairing, and the central vertical fin, located above the upper wing, being redesigned so that it had a new profile.
In November, two model aircraft engines, rated at 1.50 hp (1.1 kW), powering 12 in (30.5 cm) propellers, were fitted on either side of the fuselage.
On the last test, with Harold Youngren acting as pilot, and also pedalling, the BURD II reached takeoff speed, at which point the foreplane collapsed and the craft veered off course, causing further structural damage.
[3] Subsequent analysis by MIT graduate Bob Parks determined that the BURD design had fundamental deficiencies in its engineering, with its center of gravity being too far forward, and the wings' box-spars and wire trussing also being inadequate for the task.