Gamera: First Solar-Powered Helicopter

Dean Sigler Solar Power, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Solar Gamera, an extension of the human-powered helicopter that achieved the longest HPH duration flight in 2013, just made the first solar-powered helicopter flight.  In 2014, a group of undergraduate students at the University of Maryland turned Team Gamera into Solar Gamera, “to test the feasibility of applying solar power in achieving human helicopter flight.” Ph.D. student William Staruk, a member of the original HPH team, reflected, “Today you are seeing the first successful flights of the Gamera Solar-Powered Helicopter. You are seeing aviation history being made in the history of green aviation and rotary blade aviation.” Gamera’s lattice-work framework, 100-foot square with extremely large rotors at the ends of four beams, carried materials science major Michelle Mahon on two short flights.  The best effort lasted nine seconds and gained an altitude over a foot. Staruk explained, “It’s just a matter of drift before [Solar Gamera] gets longer flights.  It’s easier to trim than human-powered helicopter thanks to electronic controls.” Note …