World’s First Manned Electric Helicopter Takes Flight!

If you're wondering why there are <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-hangar-recharges-zero-emission-electric-airplane/">electric planes</a>, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/smart-fortwo-electric-version-of-the-smart-car-hits-the-roads/">electric cars</a>, and all kinds of other electric vehicles floating around, but no electric helicopters, it's because these lean machines require a lot of battery power to take off, hover, and land. So when Solution F commissioned electrical and aerospace engineer Pascal Chretien to build an electric helicopter, he knew he needed to replace the most energy-intensive functions, such as the tail rotor and cyclic control, with ultra-lightweight alternatives that would <a href="http://inhabitat.com/scientists-find-that-styrofoam-bean-bag-innards-help-give-ev-batteries-a-super-fast-charge/">reduce the battery load</a>. And he was successful! Beating aviation giant Sikorsky's record, the manned electric prototype flew untethered for 2 minutes and 10 seconds at considerable personal risk to Chretien, an experienced helicopter pilot.

Helicopters require a lot of battery power

Which is why electric helicopters have been slow to take off

So, when Solution F commissioned Pascal Chretien to building an electric helicopter

He knew he had to replace energy-intensive functions with lighter weight alternatives

Instead of an energy intensive tail rotor, he added a coaxial design with 2 counter-rotating rotors on top that only requires a lightweight tail fin

And instead of cyclic control, he added a big set of handlebars for the weight-shifting system

These interventions combined resulted in 5 kg weight reduction

But the controls are reversed from standard helicopters

So Chretien had to train himself on a pendular weight shifting system to ensure he did not respond the wrong way in the air

And he was successful! The first every manned electric helicopter flight lasted 2 minutes and 10 seconds.