Muscle power helicopter
A muscle power helicopter is an experimental helicopter that is powered exclusively by muscle power , with the pilot usually driving a rotor via pedals . Muscle power helicopters are muscle power aircraft and therefore belong to the class of muscle power vehicles . In order to be able to fly the helicopter, as with all helicopters, a low power-to-weight ratio is sought, for which, in addition to the high performance of the "pilot", a low weight of the device is necessary. In addition, rotors with high efficiency must be used, which means that they should deliver high dynamic lift with low flow resistance .
Igor I. Sikorsky Prize
In 1980, the American Helicopter Society announced a competition named after Igor Ivanovich Sikorski (English spelling: Sikorsky). The conditions were that the pilot managed to hold the helicopter in the air for 60 seconds, during which time it had to exceed the flight altitude of three meters while remaining within a field of 10 by 10 meters. In addition, other competitive conditions had to be met. The prize money was initially $ 10,000, which was soon increased to $ 25,000. After 30 years of failing to achieve the set goal, the prize money for the first flight to meet the criteria was increased to US $ 250,000 by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation .
Winner AeroVelo Atlas (2013)
A Canadian team made up of students and employees from the University of Toronto won the prize money with a flight of the AeroVelo “Atlas” muscle power helicopter in a sports hall in Vaughan, Ontario on June 13, 2013. The helicopter with four rotors is powered by bicycle cranks and is as big as half a soccer field. In the third attempt, the athlete Todd Reichert reached the required altitude of 3 meters after 10 seconds and held the device in the air for 64 seconds; the maximum flight altitude was 3.3 m.
history
- Around 1490, Leonardo da Vinci sketched his "Helix Pteron" design for a propeller .
- 1768 the French mathematician Alexis Jean-Pierre Paucton designed the first concept Pterophore called for a human-powered helicopter with two separate for lift and thrust rotors competent.
- September 10, 1989: The first muscle-powered helicopter "Da Vinci III" from California Polytechnic State University flew for 7.1 seconds and reached a height of 20 cm. 1 rotor helicopter.
- May 12, 2011: At the University of Maryland , the muscle power helicopter "Gamera (I)" flies 4.2 seconds with a combined hand and foot pedal drive. Quadcopter.
- July 31, 2011: The biology student Judy Wexler flies with "Gamera (I)" 11.4 seconds and sets a new record. Quadcopter.
- June 21, 2012: Students from the University of Maryland use “Gamera II” with now conical rotor blades to increase the record for flight duration to 49.9 seconds. Quadcopter.
- June 13, 2013: AeroVelo wins the Sikorsky Prize with the “Atlas” aircraft and a flight duration of 64 seconds. Quadcopter.
Web links
- AHS Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition
- www.HumanPoweredHelicopters.org Information on the technology, history and people involved in human-powered helicopters
- Information on different drive trains for human powered helicopters
- wired.com article about flight attempts of the gamera
- Gamera homepage
Individual evidence
- ↑ Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition, competition
- ↑ Finally! A Human-Powered Helicopter Wins the $ 250,000 Sikorsky Prize - PopularMechanics.com
- ↑ Hans-Joachim Polte: Helicopter - history, technology, use , publishers ES Mittler, p. 29
- ↑ http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/26846.html Mention of JP Paucton
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from August 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. AeroVelo website of July 11, 2013, accessed on July 12, 2013
