Project: Gyro HPH

The Gyro HPH project was started in 2004 by David Wagner of Canada. The project is active as of Feb. 2007. At that time the engineering was complete and the CAD drawings were to start.

• Number of rotors: 1 main rotor, 1 tail rotor
• Rotor Diameter: 14 feet (main), 2 feet (tail)
• Aircraft Empty Weight: 100 lbs
• Pilot Weight: 150 – 160 lbs
• Requirements for Pilot:
    1. Able to take bike through 27 gear changes to achieve RPM for lift-off.
    2. Must be familiar with real Helicopter controls (Collective & Cyclic)
    3. Hang glider experience would be a bonus.
• Materials of Construction: Acrylic, Polycarbonate, Polystyrene, Teflon, Phenolics, Bamboo, Mylar, Carbon Fiber, Titanium, Nylon, Delrin…. just to name a few.

"I hope to have my human powered helicopter flying within the next 2 years. All the engineering is done and the plans have been laid. Sample materials have been tested and we are ready to go.

Once we get the CAD drawings done we will be approaching Boeing and NASA for sponsorship as the state of the art materials we are using are expensive....very expensive! The other thing holding us up is finding the right place to build our project. It must be big enough to not only construct the craft but to test it and also must have high security to prevent others from seeing the design before we let the world see it.

We are planning to do more than just win a contest with our design. We hope to put it into mass production and the main six pieces can be transported in a truck like you would a hang glider. Put it together-fly it for the day and when you are done-take it apart and put it back in your garage." - David Wagner, email 18 Feb. 2007.

Project description from David Wagner:

Project Name: Gyro HPH
Designer: David A. Wagner
Country: Canada
Contact E-mail: dnh777@cogeco.ca
Project Start Date: Aug 10, 2004

Project Goal: To Realize The Dream Of Personal Human Powered Helicopter Flight

Proto-Type Reveal Date: Feb. 2009

Design Concept: Combination Integration!

The design is different than many of the ideas currently around on Human Powered Flight. Rather than using large wings that move slowly and take up a gym this concept uses the full potential of the human legs to create a craft with a stable fast moving prop that is only 14 ft. across.

It has 8 trapezoid wings that will mimic a real helicopter. It will be capable of true flight being able to hover, move backward or forward and bank left or right in flight. Like a helicopter it has a tail rotor for stabilization and a collective to engage the prop once lift off rpm is reached.

The pilot will pull only enough collective to lift the craft off the ground. Too much would result in a air brake effect on the rotor.Once in the air he will reduce the collective to increase the acceleration of the prop and keep the RPM as high as possible. Without giving too much away in the function and design of the craft I am using reverse aeronautics and super light materials that have only become available in the last 10 years to accomplish my goal.

If the design of this craft were to use conventional materials like aluminum or fiberglass it would not fly and most likely break apart. It is only the integration of both materials and design in a unique way that will allow Human Powered Flight to take place.

I believe the person who succeeds at overcoming gravity with just the power of the human legs will be someone who thinks outside of the box and accomplishes things that no one else has thought of before. If it was easy it would have already been done.

Such is the design of the craft that once it is in the air in a horizontal position the pilot will be able to take his hands off the controls and it will stay exactly were he left it until he puts his hands back on the controls and tells it to go up or down, bank left or bank right. The craft will also not "fall" out of the sky if the pilot gets a cramp in his leg and stops peddling as the prop and the tail rotor will be able to free wheel without constant pumping of the pedals on the craft. It has built in safety features that allow it an emergency for the craft to gyro-rotate to the ground if the collective is fully closed down and the rider was to stop peddling for any reason. Like the wind is getting to strong to fly it safely or he does not have time to fly back to his starting point before an approaching storm would overtake him.

Every conceivable problem as been look at from vibration to the speed to lift ratio. When thinking of human powered flight the bumble bee or the humming bird should not be able to fly because of the mass of their body and the small area of their wings-but when they move them fast enough gravity is overcome and they fly as a miracle of nature.

I believe mankind can fly as a miracle of nature if he can find just he right kind of wings to do it with. I believe my craft will do what others have not been able to do. To fly over the top of a 50 ft tree and safely land again on the other side using only the power of the human legs."