UMd. Team Tests Human-Powered Helicopter
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP/WJZ) -- An exhausting experiment is underway at the University of Maryland.
More than 50 engineering students there are trying to get a helicopter to fly using only human power.
The chopper, which is made up of lightweight materials and four large rotors on an x-shaped frame, is powered by a young woman using her arms and legs and some bicycle parts.
The helicopter was designed with lightweight materials so that it only weighs 210 pounds, including the pilot. It is powered by a combination of hand and foot pedaling.
If the craft gets off the ground, the team could capture the world record for human-powered helicopter flight with a female pilot.
A number of tries to get the craft airborne failed Wednesday.
Called the "Gamera," which is named after a Japanese sci-fi turtle that flies, will try for lift-off again Thursday.
The team also is working to capture the Sikorsky Prize run by the American Helicopter Society. They must hover for 60 seconds and reach a height of three meters.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
