Slashdot Mirror
Maryland Team Hopes To Nab $250k Prize For Leg-Powered Copter
daltec writes "The $250,000 American Helicopter Society Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition prize, unclaimed since 1980, is now closer than ever to being won. With flights up to ten feet in altitude and lasting over 65 seconds, the prize's strict requirements (thought by many to be impossible to satisfy) have all been met — but not on the same flight. Two teams — AeroVelo in Canada and Gamera II at the University of Maryland — are tantalizingly close to claiming the prize. The Gamera team will be making its latest attempt this weekend."
It's fascinating to see the evolution of the teams' designs and efforts. Seeing what functionality was given up for weight / flight power conservation (ability to steer was given up on at least one team's design).
So you are coptering and get a leg cramp. Then what? Look out citizens below!
Hideki!
The altitude requirement is probably meant to take the vehicle out of ground effect. A 60s flight at 9ft is not as close to a 60s 10ft flight as the teams may hope.
Personally, I would rather all my aerial screws be leg-powered... much better traction that way.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
YAY!!! Barney's leg-powered copter that he made in one of the first episodes of The Flintstones has finally come true!?!??
Does anyone remember that episode??? He built it and he and Fred used it to go to a bowling alley when they were supposed to be home sick. Then they had to beat WIlma and Betta home when they got caught in their disguises. Their wives drove while Fred and Barney used their leg/arm powered contraption...and the flying machine won!! lol
Okay, Now I'm gonna read the article...
It's a good start, but the real challenge will be finding a sustainable supply of extra legs, and devising a method of reliably delivering them to the combustion chamber.
I find it puzzling that the headline mentions only Maryland, when the summary and TFA talk equally about two teams.
I mean, yay, Go Free State and all that (MD native here) but what gives? Good luck to the Terrapins, but they don't rate special headline mentions until they actually win it, instead of being one of two candidates.
Ah yes, the well known AHSIISHPHC prize...
I was the pilot (engine really) of the UBC Human Powered Helicopter project almost 10 years ago. Here's a short video of our attempt. We were grounded by a flex issue that kept derailing the drive chains that connected my pedals to the overhead transmission. Best of luck to the teams going at it today! It's no small engineering nor athletic challenge.
In 1980, the American Helicopter Society International created a $25,000 prize for the first aviator to stay airborne for 60 seconds, reach an altitude of more than 10 feet, and hover without drifting more than 1,076 square feet—all in a machine powered by nothing other than the human body.
(emphasis mine)
The "drift" requirement is that the craft has to stay within an area of 10 sq meters. That's 107.6 square feet, so TFA is off by an order of magnitude. According to the Popular Mechanics piece which I read a few weeks ago, this "fine print" requirement has turned out to be surprisingly hard for the Maryland team, since their pilots are spinning with both hands and both feet and thus aren't able to steer. The Canadians think they have an advantage on that one.
Also, the altitude requirement is 3 meters, or 9.8 feet rather than 10.
$10,000 CHALLENGE to Alexander Peter Kowalski
* POOR SHOWING TROLLS , & most especially IF that's the "best you've got" - apparently, it is... lol!
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