Ever since Leonardo DaVinci first came up with the concept many centuries ago, engineering geeks have always wondered: is there a way to build a human-propelled helicopter? Well, apparently there is, though it's doubtful you'll see one flying in your neighborhood any time soon.

A group of Canadian engineers have just snagged $250,000 for winning the American Helicopter Society's Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Prize. Their assignment was simple, and yet up to this point, completely unprecedented.

The team had to design a vessel that could be self propelled for a full 60 seconds. Additionally, they had to reach at least 3.3 meters in height at some point during the flight, and were required to stay within certain boundaries laid out by the prize's guidelines, which have been in place since its inception 33 years ago.

"For us, the dangerous part is coming down from altitude," said engineer Dr. Todd Reichert, who was part of the AeroVelo team. "Climbing is no problem -- it's in the time period between 15 and 40 seconds that is really tough."

As you can see from the video, keeping the helicopter within the allotted boundaries was no easy task due to its monstrous size. They had to keep the person propelling the machine within a 10x10 meter area, but the helicopters large frame made it particularly difficult to control.

Interestingly enough, the record setting attempt almost didn't happen. The team, which was composed of Reichert and Cameron Robertson, had already tried and failed two previous times. They had only one last opportunity before the field they were using was scheduled to be overrun by eager soccer players. In the end, they delivered when it mattered most.

"In 18 months, this passionate team went from preliminary design to achieving what many considered impossible; taking down one of the most daunting aviation feats of the past century," the team said on its Web page.