Maryland team readies Gamera II for next human-powered helicopter record

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Last July, the frantic pumping of upper and lower limbs of intrepid pilot Judy Wexler managed to keep the huge Gamera human-powered helicopter in the air for a record-breaking 11.4 seconds. The student team from the Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center at the University of Maryland's Department of Aerospace Engineering has since been busy refining and redesigning the craft for another stab at the elusive US$250,000 American Helicopter Society's Sikorsky Prize. Gamera II has been built for longer flight duration and is lighter and tougher than its predecessor, with improved transmission and enhanced rotor design. The new x-shaped craft is set to take off next week for its first test runs and the team is confident that existing record times will be smashed... but will it nab the ultimate prize?.. Continue Reading Maryland team readies Gamera II for next human-powered helicopter record

Section: Aero Gizmo

Tags: Helicopters, Human-Powered-Flight, Pedal-powered, Quadrocopter, Sikorsky, University of Maryland

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