AeroVelo Atlas
| Atlas | |
|---|---|
| File:AHS Sikorsky Prize Winning Flight by AeroVelo.jpg | |
| AHS Sikorsky Prize-winning flight of AeroVelo's Atlas human-powered helicopter | |
| Role | Human Powered Helicopter |
| National origin | Canada |
| Manufacturer | AeroVelo |
| Number built | 1 |
The AeroVelo Atlas is a human powered helicopter (HPH) that was built for the Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition. On 13 June 2013, the aircraft became the first aircraft to achieve the goals of the competition and thus won the prize.
Operational history
AeroVelo, a team of students and graduates of the University of Toronto, began flight testing its Atlas quad rotor HPH on 28 August, 2012.[1] The Atlas is the largest HPH ever flown.[2]
On 13 June 2013, AeroVelo flew its Atlas HPH and submitted data from the flight to the AHS International Human Powered Helicopter Competition Committee. After the panel of vertical flight technical experts reviewed the data from the flight, AHS International announced that the flight had met the requirements of the competition and that AeroVelo had officially won.[3]
During the 13 June 2013 flight, occurring at 12:43PM EDT, the team managed to keep Atlas in the air for 64.11 seconds, reach a peak altitude of 3.3 meters and drift no more than 9.8 meters from the starting point.[4][5]
AHS International awarded the $250,000 prize on 11 July 2013 to the AeroVelo Atlas.[6]
Specifications
Data from Aviation Week and Space Tecnology 15 July 2013
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Empty weight: 55 kg (122 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × human , 1.1 kW (1.5 hp)
- Main rotor diameter: 4 × 20.4 m (67 ft 0 in)
- Main rotor area: 1,307 m2 (13,750 sq ft)
Performance
- Service ceiling: 3.3 m (11 ft)
Power
The peak power of 1.1 kw was only generated during the first few seconds to climb to the required 3 m altitude. By the end of the flight, it was down to 600 w. Todd Reichert, the pilot and a racing cyclist, had specifically trained for such a power profile.[7]
Control
Control was creating by leaning the bike, which flexed the entire helicopter frame, and tilted the rotor axes.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "AHS Congratulates AeroVelo for Human Powered Helicopter First Flight!". AHS International. August 28, 2012. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ "Vertiflite, "Human Powered Helicopters Rise Higher"". AHS International. November-December, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Jason Paur (July 11, 2013). "Canadian Team Claims $250,000 Prize for Human-Powered Helicopter". Wired. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
- ^ "U of T engineers make history with first human-powered helicopter". ctvnews.ca. July 11, 2013.
- ^ "AeroVelo Officially Awarded AHS Sikorsky Prize!". aerovelo.com. July 11, 2013.
- ^ "AeroVelo Team Wins AHS International's 33-Year-Old Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition". AHS International. July 11, 2013.
- ^ a b Graham Warwick (July 12, 2013). "Human + Helo - How AeroVelo Won the Prize". Aviation Week. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
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