The
AHS Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition is making incredible
progress!
Follow the latest news here or learn more about the AHS HPH Competition or check out our YouTube Channel for the latest videos.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)
designed a four-person human powered helicopter, the Vite Aerea ("Aerial
Screw") and wrote: "I believe that if this screw device is well-manufactured,
that is, if it is made of linen cloth, the pores of which have been closed with
starch, and if the device is promptly reversed, the screw will engage its gear
when in the air and it will rise up on high."
University of Maryland’s Gamera Team
Website | Twitter
AeroVelo’s Atlas Team
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Cal Poly’s Upturn II Team
Webpage
Here's the latest on what's been happening in the AHS competition:
vtol.org, "AeroVelo reaches 3 meters!" March 24, 2013
AHS International congratulates AeroVelo for reaching an altitude of about 3 m during a flight test on Friday March 15, 2013 of their "Atlas" Human Powered Helicopter (HPH).
Aero Velo, "Friday Flight Plan," March 14, 2013
Tomorrow we’ll be making another attempt at the AHS Sikorsky Prize. This last week we installed small aluminum inserts to fix the stripping problem we had last week, and we’ve adjusted all structural lines to their final positions. We’re confident, collected and ready. Wish us luck!
Aero Velo, "Flight Attempt Friday: Power Numbers," March 6, 2013
After two weeks of video analysis, minor modifications and weight saving measures, the team is preparing for another AHS Sikorsky Prize Attempt this Friday, March 8th.
vtol.org, "Competitors Close in on AHS Sikorsky Prize," March 3, 2013
AHS congratulates the AeroVelo and University of Maryland teams for successful flight testing of their human powered helicopters in pursuit of the AHS Igor I. Sikorsky Prize.
Washington Post, "U-Md. Students Try to Win $250,000 Prize for Hovering in a Man-Powered Helicopter," February 28, 2013
Confidence was high Wednesday as the team prepped test flights, making small adjustments to the rotors. Team members said they thought the prize was within their reach.
NBC News.com, "U-Md. Students Try to Win $250,000 Prize for Hovering in a Man-Powered Helicopter," February 28, 2013
University of Maryland engineering student Colin Gore performs a test flight in Baltimore on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, in a one-man, human-powered helicopter that he and fellow students designed and built.
The Baltimore Sun, "University of Maryland Students Fly Human-Powered Helicopter," February 28, 2013
"It's one of the most thrilling things I've ever done in my life"
Wired, "Human-Powered Helicopter Attempts Prize-Winning Flight Today," February 28, 2013
The team already holds the record for the longest human-powered flight and the highest altitude, but so far has not met all of the requirements of the Sikorsky prize in a single flight. That could change today when the team attempts another flight.
AviationWeek.com, "Human-Powered Helos Close on Sikorsky Prize," February 26, 2013
Two of the three teams active the American Helicopter Society International's $250,000 Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Competition could stage prize attempts any moment now.
AOPA.org, "NAA Celebrates Memorable Aviation Records of 2012," February 21, 2013
Engineering students at the University of Maryland set a new record for human-powered helicopter flight endurance at 65.1 seconds in Gamera II.
Vertical, "Canadian AeroVelo Atlas Human-Powered Helicopter Expands Flight Envelope," February 4, 2013
Leading the AeroVelo Atlas team are Todd Reichert and Cameron Robertson, two youthful engineering graduates of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS).
vtol.org, "AHS Congratulates AeroVelo on Its Successful HPH Flights," January 26, 2013
Flights on Friday, January 25 achieved about 30 seconds on one flight and an altitude of 4-5 feet (based on the lowest points of the four rotor systems).
InTheCapitol.com, "UMD’s Human Powered Helicopter Competing to Win $10,000 from Boca Bearing", November 26, 2012
“We are very close but have not met the requirements of the AHS Sikorsky Prize yet. To get there, we need to implement a control/steering system as well as reduce our weight where we can. These tasks take time, effort, and money to complete. Should we win this competition we will be putting this money towards improving Gamera in our last big push over the finish line in 2013!”
Aero Velo, "17 Second Controlled Flight of Atlas", November 26, 2012
On September 3rd, Atlas became the fourth human-powered helicopter in history to achieve flight, and the first to do so with active controls.
ABC News, "Human-Powered Helicopter Motors Toward New Frontier", November 14, 2012
Getting a helicopter 3 meters off the ground for 1 minute doesn't seem like much of an achievement, but doing it without the power of a motorized engine has stumped engineers for the entirety of human history. We spoke with PhD student and Project Manager William Staruk and pilot Colin Gore to learn more about the project and see what's next.
Vertiflite, "Human Powered Helicopters Rise Higher", November-December 2012
Three human powered vehicle teams have flown in the past year, and the boundary of human powered VTOL flight has been pushed beyond the 60 second mark. But even with the incredible advancements seen in human powered helicopter technology in the past year, the challenge of the AHS Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter prize still remains unclaimed after 32 years. However, unlike years past, it is safe to say that it will not stay that way forever.
WUSA9.com, "Human Powered Helicopter Closing In On Elusive Sikorsky Prize at University of Maryland", November 9, 2012
University of Maryland Clark School of Engineering Students appear to be tantalizingly close to breaking an aviation barrier that has remained elusive for 32 years.
Discovery Channel, "Daily Planet", October 2, 2012
“Daily Planet” did an extended feature on the AeroVelo Atlas project. The Atlas segment starts about 8 minutes into the program. An extended version of the construction footage is also available at www.discoverychannel.ca/Article.aspx?aid=46352.
Engineering @ Maryland, "Gamera Soars Again!", Fall 2012
Record-Breaking Flights Make History for Clark School Students.
Aero-News Network, "Canadian To Receive FAI Grant For Human-Powered Helicopter Project," October 21, 2012
Todd Reichert named as winner of the Prince Alvaro de Orleans Borbon Grant for a human-powered helicopter project called 'Atlas'.
NPR, "A Human-Powered Helicopter: Straight Up Difficult," October 14, 2012
More people have walked on the moon than have successfully flown a human-powered helicopter. Just like their crafts, these pilots have to be light and strong.
NPR, "Timeline: The History of Human-Powered Flight," October 13, 2012
Ever since Leonardo Da Vinci sketched plans for a bird-like machine in one of his notebooks, hundreds of inventors have tried to engineer their way into the skies. But flying under human power — and human power alone — isn't an easy task.
Popular Science, "Maryland Student Hovers 8 Feet High in Human-Powered Helicopter, Smashing Previous Records," August 30, 2012
"Records are made to be broken, and a bunch of students at the University of Maryland are smashing the ones they just set earlier this summer." Check out the video of their record-breaking flight!
vtol.org, "AHS Congratulates AeroVelo for Human Powered Helicopter First Flight!," August 30, 2012
The AeroVelo Atlas human powered helicopter made its first flight on Tuesday, August 28, 2012, as part of the AHS Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition. They are now the third human powered helicopter now flying.
Popular Science, "They Said It Couldn't Be Done!," August 29, 2012
For years, many assumed that flight required more lift and more power than the human body alone could provide (although the admonitions did little to stop myriad failed attempts). But inventors persisted.
vtol.org, "Gamera team continues setting records," August 28, 2012
University of Maryland continues setting records with its Gamera human powered helicopter.
TheStar.com, "Human-powered helicopter: Toronto engineers aiming to win elusive Sikorsky flight prize," August 26, 2012
Later this week, in the not-so-clandestine openness of the Vaughan Soccer Centre, a secretive team of Toronto engineers, tests a dream more than three decades in the making.
vtol.org, "AHS salutes the UMD Gamera team progress," August 9, 2012
The UMD team reaches a tethered hover time of 70 seconds in the AHS Human Powered Helicopter Competition.
vtol.org, "Upturn Helicopter Flies!," July 16, 2012
NTS Works had a successful first flight of its Upturn human powered helicopter (HPH).
Vertiflite, "Human Powered Helicopters Take-Off," July-August 2012
Over the past three years, tremendous progress has been made in pursuit of the AHS Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter (HPH) Competition, with a half dozen official registrants for the Competition. Recent progress has been made by several teams, with three related here.
NBC News, "Human-Powered Helicopter Breaks Record With 50-Second Flight," June 25, 2012
Improvements allowed the team to break the 18-year-old record and post a time of 50 seconds in the air at 2 feet up.
Washington Post, "Watch a massive human-powered chopper take off," June 22, 2012
It is called Gamera II, which translates to “Flying Turtle” in Japanese. They flew a turtle!
The Atlantic, "Human-Powered Helicopters: A 600 Year-Old Dream in Sight," June 21, 2012
A team of engineers just broke a world record. But they're only getting started.
Los Angeles Times, "For entrant in Sikorsky helicopter contest, a lift of faith," April 23, 2012
The Sikorsky has gnawed at him since 1989, when he led a team at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo that built the first muscle-driven chopper to get off the ground.
Santa Cruz Sentinel, "Scotts Valley inventor puts human-powered helicopter to the test; engineer aims for international aviation prize," October 23, 2011
In 1989, Saiki, heading up a team of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo engineers, broke the record for human-powered helicopter flight.
Washington Post, "New Record for U-Md. Human-Powered Helicopter: 12.4-Second Flight," July 14, 2011
For University of Maryland engineering students who watched as their 100-pound, human-powered helicopter float off a gym floor Wednesday, 12.4 seconds must have felt like eternity.
Washington Post, "At the University of Maryland, a 21st-century twist on the Wright Brothers," May 12, 2011
After days of adjusting, rebuilding, testing and super-gluing, a human-powered helicopter at the University of Maryland left the ground for about four seconds late Thursday afternoon.
Washington Post, "U-Md. team aims to be first in human copter flight," May 11, 2011
“I’m convinced that we can do it," Pines said. "To me this is . . .inspiring our kids, showing them that they can be the next aviation pioneers. Just like the Wright brothers.”