Devastated by his pet rat’s death, 13-year-old Pepeijn Bruins decided to do something really special for his furry friend. So he turned to Dutch inventors Arjen Beltman and Bart Jansen for help. Soon, Ratjetoe the rat was stuffed and converted into the world’s first radio-controlled ‘ratcopter’.

Bart and Arjen have a special talent for making dead animals fly; previously, we’d written about how they converted a dead ostrich and a cat into weird helicopters. Their last project was a flying jet powered shark. And they’ve done it again, this time helping a young boy overcome his grief over losing his best friend.

“I loved him very much,” said Pepeijn, who had to have the cancer-stricken rat put down. “He always liked to be cuddled and he would run up my clothes and hide. When I learned he had cancer and the vet had to put him to sleep I was very upset. I had seen Bart and Arjen and their flying cat, and I asked my dad if it would be possible to have the rat fly.”

The inventors immediately agreed to take on the project. “When I heard the boy’s rat had died of cancer, and how upset he was, I just knew I had to help,” said Arjen. “Technically, it was very different to the cat, it has three rotors instead of four, and being a small rodent, it is extremely lightweight, so prone to being blown by the wind.”

The stuffed rat has three propellers and an on-board computer, which receives directions from the remote control.

The inventors’ crazy projects were showcased in a TV documentary called All Creatures Great and Stuffed, on 10 September. According to director Matt Rudge, “Everything I caught on camera during this documentary was jaw dropping. However, the inventions of Bart and Arjen were something else.”

“I never thought I would see a cat fly, let alone it also flying after a rat with propellers. When they told me their next plan was for a Jet powered Shark, I thought they were winding me up. But three months later, it was ready to launch.”

Bart said that their philosophy is quite simple: “Flight is man’s greatest achievement, so why not give it to more animals? The world needs more flying animals.”

via BBC