Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition AeroVelo's Atlas human-powered helicopter conducted a flight that met all the requirements of the AHS International competition, and received the $250,000 prize. In the history of the prize, dozens of teams have designed and built human-powered helicopters, although few have made it airborne. The AHS competition was named in honor of Igor Sikorsky, one of the founders of the technical society. AHS initiated the prize purse at $25,000, but later raised it to $250,000. The first HPH to get off the ground was the "Da Vinci III" in 1989, designed and built by students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Sikorsky S-29-A Sikorsky S-29-A The Sikorsky S-29-A was a twin-engine biplane airliner, first flown in 1924. It was the first aircraft that aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky designed and built after coming to the United States, hence the special "-A" suffix signifying "America". The pilot and mechanic sat in an open cockpit between the upper wing and the tail, while up to 16 passengers were accommodated within the streamlined fuselage. With the airline industry only just emerging in the United States at that time, the S-29 failed to attract the customers that Sikorsky had hoped. It was eventually sold, however, and had a