Originally published on July 15, 2013

A Canadian team won the Igor I. Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition on July 11, a prize that had gone unclaimed for 33 years. The competition was established in 1980 by the American Helicopter Society with three requirements: a flight duration of 60 seconds reaching an altitude of 3 meters while remaining in a 10-meter square. Aero Velo, from the University of Toronto, won the competition with the human-powered Atlas helicopter and was awarded $250,000 for their achievement.

The helicopter spans 49.4 meters but has an overall weight of just 55 kilograms. The main structure of the helicopter is composed of carbon fiber strengthened with Vectran braided cord. Functioning entirely by human power, the flight reached 3.3 meters high in the air with a duration of 64.11 seconds and drifted no more than 9.8 meters.

--------------------------------------------------------

TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.

For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS

Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS

Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS