Solution F

Electric Helicopter
Solution F
Venelles, France
www.solutionf.fr

In late 2009, Eric Chantriaux, the managing director of Solution F, a French-based company, and Pascal Chretien decided to design, build and fly the world’s first fully electric powered helicopter. The deadline was aggressive: 6 months from concept to prototype. Design work started in August 2010; all development was conducted in Venelles, France.

On 4 August 2011, the first authenticated, manned (tethered) flight of a helicopter powered by an electric motor took place at Venelles, France. The aircraft was flown by Pascal Chretien and hovered about 50 cm (19 in) above the ground for 2 minutes and 10 seconds. The first free manned hover flight, witnessed by a court bailiff, was carried out on August 12, 2011. It was logged as the first flight of a manned electric helicopter. The achievement of these first flight records are listed on the Guinness World Records website. In July and August 2011, the aircraft flew for a total of 99.5 minutes in 29 flights, some of which extended for 6 minutes.

The aircraft is powered by lithium polymer pouch batteries, providing 160 W-h/kg (0.1 hp-h/lb). The roll and pitch of the Solution F are achieved through a gimbaled front end. The helicopter is powered by two Agni DC motors, allowing the aircraft to hover at up to 1000 ft. Although the max flight time is ten minutes, the tests limited to six in order to prevent the overheating of the batteries.

Specifications:

Resources:

• Solution F Paper: Paving the way to hybrid helicopters, Pascal Chretien
• World Record: First electric helicopter, Guinness World Records, Aug. 4, 2011
• Article: World's first manned electric helicopter, Lithium Balance, 2011
• Article: From Concept to Prototype in 180 Days, Vertiflite, Mar/Apr 2012