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Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition

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The Sikorsky Prize is a $250,000 reward established in 1980 by the American Helicopter Society (AHS) to the first controlled flight of a human powered helicopter. It was named in honor of Igor Sikorsky. The prize has not yet been won as of April 2011. The competition is international and is open to individuals or teams from any part of the world.

In summary, the requirements to win the Sikorsky prize include a flight duration of 60 seconds and reaching an altitude of 3 meters (9.8 ft) while remaining in a 10 meter (32.8 ft) square.

Many have attempted to fly human powered helicopters both before and after the creation of the Sikorsky Prize. None have met all of the prize's requirements. Very few human powered aircraft in the history of aviation have succeeded in leaving the ground under official witnessing. The first helicopter to do so was the Da Vinci III in 1989, designed and built by students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California, USA. It flew for 7.1 seconds and reached a height of 8 inches (20 cm). The second was the Yuri I in 1994, designed and built by students at Nihon University in Japan. It flew for 19.46 seconds and reached an altitude of 20 cm. Students at the University of Maryland have designed and built the Gamera in an attempt to win the prize. The Gamera is scheduled to make a test flight on May 11, 2011.[1]

See also

  1. ^ http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/media/release.php?id=104
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