Human Powered Helicopter
 

On Wednesday morning a team from the University of Maryland will attempt to test fly their human powered helicopter as part of a larger attempt to win the $250,000 Sikorsky Prize. Should they get off the ground they'll be the third team to ever do so. The prize itself requires a 90 second flight and an ascent to 9 feet, which they hope to accomplish with a later design iteration. They look to have some seriously neat things going on, especially if you're a huge aero dork like me.

Promo Video (youtube)

Link to the team website (test flight sometime after 9AM on Wednesday

One Page Handout

Re: Human Powered Helicopter
 

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/05...ter-60589.html

Per that article technical problems kept them on the ground yesterday, they will try again today.

However the article also says the pilot is 170lbs whis I find hard too believe.

Re: Human Powered Helicopter
 

It says 107 lbs body not 170 :P

Re: Human Powered Helicopter
 

Still says 170lbs when I check it. I agree that 107 is much more likely.

Re: Human Powered Helicopter
 

From the team website:

Late in the afternoon of May 12, 2011, in the auxiliary gym of the Comcast Center on the campus of the University of Maryland, the human-powered helicopter Gamera, designed and built by graduate and undergraduate students of the A. James Clark School of Engineering and piloted by biology student Judy Wexler, achieved lift-off of 3-5 inches and hover time of approximately 4 seconds.

Re: Human Powered Helicopter
 

A video, if anyone is interested.

It definitely doesn't look nearly as stable as the one built by the Japanese in the 1990s.

Re: Human Powered Helicopter
 

LOL our shop teacher and one of his friends built one of these and had it hanging in Harding's wood shop for years. Never did get off the ground.