Human-powered helicopter takes prize with record-breaking flight

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  Jul 12, 2013 3:09 AM GMT

  Team wins $250,000 prize for first human-powered helicopter flight to exceed 1 minute. An enormous contraption, the 4 rotors rotate exceptionally slow, but the damn thing does hover high enough to meet the prize criteria.
  
  
  
  http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/human-powered-helicopter-takes-prize-record-breaking-flight-6C10611810

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  Jul 12, 2013 3:36 AM GMT

  Wow, that's pretty cool. Nice quads on the pilot too!

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  Jul 12, 2013 4:45 AM GMT

  Scruffypup saidWow, that's pretty cool. Nice quads on the pilot too!

  
  Yeah, they needed an athlete who had the required strength and endurance. An expert bicyclist was also used in the first successful human-powered flight across the English Channel.

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  Jul 12, 2013 11:05 AM GMT

  Fuckin awesome! I want one.

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  Jul 12, 2013 1:10 PM GMT

  That was awesome! I almost didn't even look real, like it was being lifted by something else.

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  Jul 12, 2013 1:30 PM GMT

  Actually, Pippi Longstocking made the first one, but whatever...

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  Jul 12, 2013 4:07 PM GMT

  pf0081 saidThat's cool, but I don't understand why they need all those propellers and that many materials.

  
  I'm not an aeronautical engineer, but evidently the slow-moving airfoils have more lift than a faster rotating conventional rotor, for the energy expended. A good example of thinking out of the box.
  
  The contest also specified the craft had to meet stability parameters, and not drift excessively. Four rotors may have solved this challenge w/o resorting to elaborate and heavy control mechanisms.

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  Jul 12, 2013 4:14 PM GMT

  I remember reading the article about these guys in either PopMech or PopSci back when they were still in the development phase. Pretty cool that they pulled it off.

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  Jul 12, 2013 5:00 PM GMT

  Amazing! Any clue as to what the carbon footprint might be, though?

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  Jul 13, 2013 2:01 AM GMT

  Looking_to_come_out saidAmazing! Any clue as to what the carbon footprint might be, though?

  
  
  Large enough for an overworked cliche to fall into.

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  Jul 13, 2013 5:19 PM GMT

  turbobilly said

  Looking_to_come_out saidAmazing! Any clue as to what the carbon footprint might be, though?

  
  
  Large enough for an overworked cliche to fall into.

  
  Thought as much. :/

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• LJay
  
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  Jul 13, 2013 5:41 PM GMT

  At last! A new career opportunity for Lance Armstrong.
  
  Wish there was a picture of the whole thing. It must be quite the rig.

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  Jul 13, 2013 7:41 PM GMT

  "...isn't practical for day-to-day human flight."
  
  Yet.

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• Trevor_B
  
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  Sep 24, 2013 5:09 AM GMT

  Hmmm...checked ebay...no one's selling yet.

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  Sep 28, 2013 5:28 AM GMT

  Araneidude saidAmazing! Any clue as to what the carbon footprint might be, though?

  
  
  Just methane.

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  Sep 28, 2013 5:28 AM GMT

  ART_DECO saidTeam wins $250,000 prize for first human-powered helicopter flight to exceed 1 minute. An enormous contraption, the 4 rotors rotate exceptionally slow, but the damn thing does hover high enough to meet the prize criteria.
  
  
  
  http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/human-powered-helicopter-takes-prize-record-breaking-flight-6C10611810

  
  
  Well, this would be motivation to finish your cardio and not just quit.

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• MikemikeMike
  
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  Sep 28, 2013 7:25 AM GMT

  I would have kept it in the air longer

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