Aircraft design and development company Tier 1 Engineering has achieved a battery-powered manned helicopter flight to 400 feet altitude with a peak speed of 80 knots.

The helicopter—a modified Robinson R44 with a basic empty weight of 1,250 lbs. and a gross weight of 2,500 lbs.—completed the flight at the Los Alamitos Army Airfield under a special airworthiness certificate in the experimental category issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. The test was carried out pursuant to a contract from Lung Biotechnology PBC to produce an electrically powered semi-autonomous rotorcraft for organ delivery (EPSAROD).

The battery-powered helicopter has a basic empty weight of 1,250 lbs. and a gross weight of 2,500 lbs. Image credit: Tier 1 Engineering."Never before has a manned helicopter performed a vertical takeoff, cruise and landing solely on battery power," says Glen Dromgoole, president of Tier 1 Engineering.

The Tier 1 Engineering team designed and integrated all of the helicopter subsystems, which included 1,100 pounds of Brammo lithium polymer batteries, twin electric motors and a control system from Rinehart Motion Systems. The five-minute flight drained approximately 20% of the battery energy, the company says.

Tier 1 Engineering estimates the range of the proof-of-concept helicopter at 20 minutes, or approximately 30 nautical miles. Company officials aim to improve the endurance using higher-energy-density batteries, a more efficient electrical drive system and a more aerodynamic airframe.

Lung Biotechnology PBC intends to apply the EPSAROD technology to distributing manufactured organs for transplantation to major hospitals with less noise and lower carbon footprint than permitted with current technology. Ultimately, the mission specification for the helicopter is to carry two people and three manufactured organs with a total payload weight of 600 pounds for not less than 150 minutes, including a 30-minute reserve.