Watch the human-powered helicopter lift off
May 19, 2011 by Jill W. Tallman, Associate Editor
As Al Marsh reported this week, Gamera took flight. The human-powered helicopter, named for the giant flying turtle in Japanese horror films, is the project of the University of Maryland’s Clark School of Engineering. (Full disclosure: My daughter attends UMd, and I freely admit to using the hashtag “#goTerps” in my Tweets on the event.)
Pilot Judy Wexler, looking poised and competent (while the engineering students jumped around out of nervous excitement, I’m guessing), was able to get the craft off the ground and hover for several seconds–long enough that the team has filed for a world aeronautical record. View the video here.
Tags: Clark School, Gamera, helicopters, record attempts, Terrapins, UMd
May 23rd, 2011 at 1:40 pm
Unfortunately, these guys are not the first or the best. Cal Poly SLO did it in 1989 with Da Vinci III and the Japanese did it in 1994 with Yuri-I. The National Aeronautical Association recognized the Cal Poly achievement with a certificate of national record. Da Vinci III flew for 6.8 seconds.