On Sunday, Yokoyama piloted the Gen H-4 into the air from a field in Vinci, Italy, hometown of inventor Leonardo da Vinci, widely credited as the first person to sketch out a helicopter design. But not too far into the air, apparently: Yanagisawa told the AP ahead of time that the aircraft would go only about 16 feet into the air during three 10-minute demonstrations so that people would have a good view of the flights. "The concept of my helicopter comes from Italy, and I've always wanted to fly it in da Vinci's birthplace," Yanagisawa said.
The Gen H-4 design dates back to the late 1990s (with engine work going back even further), and it has flown a number of times already. The AP also reported that Yanagisawa has sold five of the aircraft in Japan and two in the United States, at a price of about $57,000.
Photo by AFP photo/Tiziana Fabi
Caption by Jonathan Skillings
