Clark School Human-Powered Helicopter Flies

University of Maryland's "Gamera" Takes Flight, Achieves World Record with Female Pilot Aboard

COLLEGE PARK, Md., May 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A team of more than 50 students at the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering has succeeded in flying their human-powered helicopter, Gamera.

Pilot Judy Wexler, a 24-year-old biology graduate student at UM, pedaled furiously, taking the craft several inches into the air for about 4 seconds, setting a world record for human-powered helicopter flight with a female pilot.

The National Aeronautical Association (NAA) must still review the video, which should happen by Friday morning, before they will announce the official results.

An official statement from Clark School Dean Darryll Pines will be coming later this evening or tomorrow morning, along with pictures and video.

Kristan Maynard, a judge from the NAA, announced that the flight looked successful, but that official verification will require viewing the video, which will likely occur by tomorrow morning. At that time, high-definition video also will be made available on our web site. Until then, low-definition video will become available as soon as possible this evening.

For updates, additional statements, photos and video, please refer to the online version of this release: http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/media/release.php?id=106.  

View video of the record-setting attempt here: http://lecture.umd.edu/detsmediasite/Viewer/?peid=8b6b78bc1ce04bfc953027cd5a3ef4de1d

Follow the Clark School on Twitter (@ClarkSchool) for further updates.

About the A. James Clark School of Engineering

The Clark School of Engineering, situated on the rolling, 1,500-acre University of Maryland campus in College Park, Md., is one of the premier engineering schools in the U.S., with graduate and undergraduate education programs ranked in or near the Top 20. In 2010, the Clark School was ranked 13th in the world by the Institute of Higher Education and Center for World-Class Universities in its Academic Ranking of World Universities. Three faculty members affiliated with the Clark School were inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2010.

The school, which offers 13 graduate programs and 12 undergraduate programs, including degree and certification programs tailored for working professionals, is home to one of the most vibrant research programs in the country. The Clark School garnered research awards of $171 million in the last year. With emphasis in key areas such as energy, nanotechnology and materials, bioengineering, robotics, communications and networking, life cycle and reliability engineering, project management, intelligent transportation systems and aerospace, the Clark School is leading the way toward the next generations of engineering advances.

Visit the Clark School homepage at www.eng.umd.edu.

SOURCE A. James Clark School of Engineering

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