Human-powered helicopter takes home $250K prize

Human-powered helicopter takes home $250K prize


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VAUGHAN, Ontario — The American Helicopter Society's Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition, held in Vaughan, Ontario, sees dozens of entries annually competing for $250,000 and notoriety. This year, AeroVelo, Inc. took home the grand prize for their human-powered helicopter called The Atlas.

Specific qualifications had to be met in order to win the competition. The flight used only human power and needed to fly for at least sixty seconds, reach an altitude of at least 9.8 feet and remain at that height in an area of about 33 square feet.

"The AHS Sikorsky Prize challenged the technical community to harness teamwork, technical skills, and cutting edge technologies to meet requirements that were on the ragged edge of feasibility," said AHS International Executive Director Mic Hirschberg. "It took AeroVelo's fresh ideas, daring engineering approach, and relentless pursuit of innovation, coupled with more than three decades of advances in structures, composites, computer-aided design and areomechanical theory, to succeed in achieving what many in vertical flight considered impossible."

The rotor of the Atlas measured 33 feet in diameter and was powered by a pilot on a bicycle. The pilot, Todd Reichert, pedaled the helicopter continuously to achieve the height and duration of the prize-winning flight. The machine weighed in at 121 pounds, making flight a considerable physical effort for what has been declared the largest operational helicopter ever constructed.

The competition draws teams every year from around the world and is geared towards innovators and students. Each entry must meet a strict set of guidelines for competition.

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Robynn Garfield

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