Human Powered Aircraft Project: Propulsion

The Human Powered Aircraft Project (HPAP) is focusing on the design of a propulsion system for the next generation of human powered aircraft. Specifically, the team is studying contra-rotating propellers as a design option. Contra-Rotating propellers have many benefits as well as several potential drawbacks; the team will design and test a system for a human powered aircraft to see if the design could allow a human powered aircraft to fly farther, faster, and more efficiently. Human powered flight has a long history of successes and failures. A human powered aircraft is any aircraft fixed wing or otherwise that is powered exclusively by a human, usually in the form of pedaling. Human powered flight has achieved many milestones including a crossing of the English Channel, a flight of 76 miles from island to island in Greece, and a 1-minute sustained hover of a helicopter. HPAP hopes to continue this project past the stage of propulsion design and build an actual aircraft. The goal is to fulfill all requirements for the Kremer Marathon Prize, a prize awarded to the first team to fly 26.2 miles in a figure eight. With the current state of research the team is hypothesizing that the contrarotating propulsion system would be more efficient and more practicable than the current standard of a single twin bladed propeller. Ignite Grant Awar