Clark School's Gamera Human-Powered Helicopter Team Completes Second Step Toward Sikorsky Prize With New 12.4-Second Unofficial Flight Duration
COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On July 13, the students on the Gamera human-powered helicopter team from the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering completed their scheduled summer flight session with a new unofficial flight duration of 12.4 seconds. If verified by the National Aeronautic Association, this new time will shatter the team's previous 4.2-second U.S. national record set in May.
Between the May flights and yesterday's, the students enhanced Gamera's cockpit and transmission and added LEDs to its landing gear that turn on when the vehicle is off the ground. Judy Wexler, the biology student who piloted the record-setting flight in May, was also on board in the most recent session.
"Our students demonstrate the combination of technical expertise and determination to succeed that will bring continued technological progress to our nation and our world," stated Clark School Dean Darryll Pines. "During these flight tests they faced formidable obstacles when Gamera suffered its first significant structural problems, but they worked through the night to repair these and the next day achieved our best flights. Their spirit fills me with pride."
The team plans further flights in the fall to move closer to winning the Sikorsky Prize, established by the American Helicopter Society in 1980. The prize requires a flight of one minute, during which the vehicle attains an altitude of three meters at some point and remains within a 10 square meter area. No team has yet come close to winning the prize, now valued at $250,000.
Low-res video available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzuXMbtSIpk
Higher-res video will be available online in: http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/media/release.php?id=118
About Gamera
"Gamera" is the name of a giant flying turtle in Japanese science fiction movies, and was selected as the name for the Clark School vehicle because the University of Maryland's mascot is the diamondback terrapin and because the team wanted to give homage to the Nihon University team. Detailed information about the craft may be found at http://www.agrc.umd.edu/gamera/index.html.
About the Gamera Team
For more than two years, a team of 50 Clark School graduate and undergraduate students has worked on the design, construction, and testing of the Gamera human-powered helicopter. For the names of team members, see http://www.agrc.umd.edu/gamera/team.html.
About the Sikorsky Prize
The Sikorsky Prize was established by the American Helicopter Society, International, to inspire teams and individuals to advance knowledge of helicopter flight and to honor helicopter pioneer Igor Sikorsky. The prize has never been awarded to date. For more information about the Sikorsky Prize, see http://www.agrc.umd.edu/gamera/sikorsky-prize.html.
About the A. James Clark School of Engineering
The Clark School of Engineering, situated on the rolling, 1,500-acre University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md., is one of the premier engineering schools in the U.S., with graduate and undergraduate education programs ranked in or near the Top 20. In 2010, the Clark School was ranked 13th in the world by the Institute of Higher Education and Center for World-Class Universities in its Academic Ranking of World Universities. Three faculty members affiliated with the Clark School were inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2010.
The school, which offers 13 graduate programs and 12 undergraduate programs, including degree and certification programs tailored for working professionals, is home to one of the most vibrant research programs in the country. The Clark School garnered research awards of $171 million in the last year. With emphasis in key areas such as energy, nanotechnology and materials, bioengineering, robotics, communications and networking, life cycle and reliability engineering, project management, intelligent transportation systems and aerospace, the Clark School is leading the way toward the next generations of engineering advances.
Visit the Clark School homepage at www.eng.umd.edu.
Award-Winning X2 Technology™ Demonstrator Takes Its Final Flight
Program paved the way for upcoming S-97 Raider™ helicopter
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., July 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.'s X2 Technology™ demonstrator has flown for the last time, the company announced today. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110714/NE35522 )
In an early morning demonstration flight conducted from the company's new Sikorsky Innovations Center within its Development Flight Center, the X2 Technology demonstrator gave invited guests one last look at its technology in flight before officially being retired and transitioning to its first application, the S-97 Raider™ helicopter.
It was the 23rd test flight of the award-winning X2™ aircraft, which flew approximately 22 total hours and achieved a maximum cruise speed of 253 knots in level flight at its peak point in the program. That milestone, an unofficial speed record for a conventional helicopter, was achieved on Sept. 15, 2010.
"This flight is the culmination of a five-year, internally funded program to expand the operational envelope of helicopters," said Sikorsky President Jeffrey Pino. "The results of this program speak to the success of a rapid prototyping environment, where a small empowered team was able to meet a specific number of very challenging goals. We met these within a small budget and a compressed schedule.
"The X2 program also has helped to develop the next generation of Sikorsky engineers, including some who are now in key positions on the S-97 Raider™ program and the Firefly™ electric helicopter program. Today, the entire Sikorsky workforce stands proud of this accomplishment and what it means for the future of rotorcraft aviation," Pino said.
The S-97 Raider helicopter program is the follow-on program to the X2 Technology demonstrator initiative. Sikorsky Vice President of Research & Engineering Mark Miller said the S-97 Raider program will design, build and fly two prototype light tactical helicopters to enable the U.S. military to evaluate the viability of a fast and maneuverable next-generation rotorcraft for a variety of combat missions. A number of Sikorsky's military and commercial customers were on hand to observe today's final X2 Technology™ demonstrator flight.
"This program will produce two prototype assault/attack aircraft with six-passenger cabins and the ability to carry armament," Miller said. "In addition to the superior speed and maneuverability of X2 Technology, these aircraft are designed to be capable of 10,000-foot hover out of ground effect on a 95-degree day. The future awaits this technology, and today we can say that we see it on the horizon."
The X2 Technology program began in 2005 when Sikorsky first committed resources and full funding, ultimately $50 million, for the program's development. Earlier this year, the X2 Technology™ demonstrator team won the 2010 Robert J. Collier Trophy, awarded annually to recognize the greatest achievements in aeronautics or astronautics in America.
In addition to winning the 2010 Collier Trophy, over the past two years the X2 Technology demonstrator received numerous accolades including the 2010 Hughes Award from the American Helicopter Society and Aviation Week's "One of the Top 10 Technologies to Watch" for 2010. In 2009, it won a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Innovator Award, and a Popular Science "Best of What's New" award. It also was named "One of 2009's Best Inventions" by Time.
Like the X2 Technology demonstrator, the S-97 Raider helicopter will be designed to feature twin coaxial counter-rotating main rotors and a pusher propeller that enables an X2-designed helicopter to cruise at 220 knots. Other innovative technologies include fly-by-wire flight controls, hub drag reduction, active vibration control, and an integrated auxiliary propulsion system.
The X2 design is scalable, opening up a variety of potential mission uses including joint-multi-role such as combat search and rescue, armed aerial scout, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), attack, VIP transport, and offshore oil.
The X2 Technology demonstrator combines an integrated suite of technologies intended to advance the state-of-the-art, counter-rotating coaxial rotor helicopter. It is designed to demonstrate a helicopter can cruise comfortably at 250 knots while retaining such desirable attributes as excellent low speed handling, efficient hovering, and a seamless and simple transition to high speed.
Among the innovative technologies the X2 Technology demonstrator employs are:
* Fly-by-wire flight controls
* Counter-rotating rigid rotor blades
* Hub drag reduction
* Active vibration control
* Integrated auxiliary propulsion system
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.
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