Fri, Aug 28, 2009
Aircraft Must Fly 10 Feet In The Air And Hover 60
Seconds
OK, so it's not exactly the X-Prize, but still it is a
significant amount of money. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has increased
the prize in the Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter
Competition more than ten-fold. Sikorsky previously had originally
pledged $20,000 in prize money for whomever could win the
competition by achieving the engineering feat of building the first
human-powered helicopter, but has just raised the prize pledge to a
quarter-million dollars.
The competition, created by the American Helicopter Society
International, challenges engineers to develop a human-powered
helicopter that can reach an altitude of at least 10 feet
during a hover lasting 60 seconds. No one has accomplished this
feat yet. The official world record is held by Professor Akira
Naito of Nihon University in Japan, with an altitude of 0.2 meters
and flight duration of 19.46 seconds. Sikorsky Aircraft
informed AHS International at its annual forum in May that the
company would increase its pledged contribution, which AHS would
award to the competition winner.
Human Powered Helicopter
Concept
"Igor Sikorsky, founder of Sikorsky Aircraft, believed that
individuals provide the spark that moves mankind ahead. This
competition continues his legacy by inspiring ingenuity in the next
generation of engineers who will design our industry's future,"
said Mark Miller, Vice President of Research and Engineering at
Sikorsky Aircraft. "Our company is built on innovation. We
believe strongly in the power of challenge."
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