Clark School Human-Powered Helicopter Flies

Clark School Human-Powered Helicopter Flies

Clark School Human-Powered Helicopter Flies

The Gamera team after the record-setting flight.
The Gamera team after the record-setting flight.

A team of more than 50 students at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering has succeeded in flying their human-powered helicopter, Gamera.

Pilot Judy Wexler, a 24-year-old biology graduate student at UM, pedaled furiously with both her hands and feet, taking the craft several inches into the air for four to six seconds, setting a world record for human-powered helicopter flight with a female pilot.

Kris Maynard, the judge from the National Aeronautics Association, announced that the flight looked successful, but that official certification will require viewing of video footage. This will likely occur on the morning of May 13.

According to Maynard, no previous human-powered helicopter flight has been certified. If the Gamera flight is certified, the vehicle will be the first in history to do so.

"I am incredibly proud of this amazing feat of engineering and physical prowess, and grateful to faculty mentors Drs. Inderjit Chopra, V.T. Nagaraj, and J. Gordon Leishman," said Clark School Dean Darryll Pines. "Today’s flight of Gamera is a fitting symbol of our excellence in rotorcraft research and education, and our first step toward winning the Sikorsky Prize."

View hi-res video of the record-setting flight.
WMV Version.

Visit the Gamera Test Flight web site.

Related Articles:
NPR Features Gamera Team
Clark School Wins Helicopter Design Competition
Gamera Team Blows Away Its Own Record
Two National Records for Gamera
Seven UMD Students Receive 2025 Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships
Saetti Honored with Vertical Flight Society’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Award
Ph.D. Student Receives Best Paper Award at VFS 80th Annual Forum
Seven Maryland Students Receive Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships
Five UMD Alumni Receive Vertical Flight Society Honors
UMD Takes Second at VFS Design-Build-Vertical-Flight Competition

May 13, 2011


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