New Materials For Record-Setting Aircraft

It occurred to me tonight that advances in materials science
probably make it possible today to build a coal-fired steam-
propulsion aircraft.  Not a very practical aircraft, but
one that could fly out of ground effect, and then land.
People criticize Howard Hughes's record-setting aircraft
for not getting above ground effect.  Nobody ever mentions
that it only flew in a straight line, so I'll assume that's
okay.  (It would probably be poor form to bail out and allow
the aircraft to crash after setting the records, in lieu of
landing.)

I'm thinking a small, high-performance motorcycle engine
could be modified with a new camshaft to convert steam
to mechanical energy.  A titanium firetube boiler would
be the lightest source of high-pressure steam.  That
would probably have to be custom-made, unless there's
a community of high-performance steam enthusiasts of
which I am unaware.  An existing ultralight aircraft
could be adapted to the new powerplant.

In one flight, a couple of dozen records could be set.
Distance record for a coal-fueled aircraft.  Distance
record for a steam-propulsion aircraft.  Altitude record
for a coal-fueled aircraft (even if it was only 30 feet).
Endurance record, speed record, number of passengers,
wingspan, fuel efficiency per pound of coal, etc.
I'd guess that a high-performance burner would need
size-classified coal particles operated as a fluidized
bed, probably with a screw conveyor to feed new fuel
into the burner.