US Army Sgt. First Class Herman Stern of Brooklyn, New York, pilots a one-man helicopter called an “aerocycle” as the army tests the new flying machine at Camp Kilmer, near New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Dec. 29, 1955. Designed to greatly improve the battlefield mobility of combat infantrymen, the 200-lb. machine was powered by a 44-horsepower motor. Top speed was estimated at 65 mph, with an estimated range of 150 miles. Te pilot guided the aircraft by leaning in the direction he wished to travel while using the
handlebars to control vertical motion. Tis model of personal rotorcraft was never put into production, even though many future pilots would have joined just for the opportunity to fly it.