August 11, 2008 5:30 PM PDT
Team Lambada, a UFM-13 Lambada motor glider sport plane, won $33,000 in NASA's challenge for quietest plane. The 80 horsepower-engine aircraft cost about $110,000, without its $21,000 added navigational equipment. Bob Johnson, the Carson, Nev.-based owner of Lambada, said he found out about the race early this summer, so he didn't have much time to prepare. Next year, he said he should have a better opportunity to improve the plane's fuel efficiency. If he pulls back on power, the plane can get the equivalent of 44 miles per gallon. (It logged about 26 miles per gallon in this weekend's race.)
Photo by Stefanie Olsen/CNET News
