Project: Helios
The Helios project was started in 1998 by students at the École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS) in Montreal, Canada. I believe this is the only project ever to have chosen such a configuration - Contra-rotating, one above, one below the pilot/engine. The team did extensive engineering work to design the entire helicopter and even built some rotor blade prototypes but the project ended in 2001. Four masters thesis were written by team members based on their work. The text is in french but I will try to find/do a translation.
- Helios Specification Sheet (in English and French)
- Design of the control system
- Design of the control and positioning unit
- Design and Manufacturing of a rotating wing
- Design of a Human Powered Helicopter
- ETS's student newspaper of October 1999, see the article on Hélios, p. 10
You can see photos from the construction of the blade prototypes on www.flickr.com.