R.p.M.
(c)image: Wim Van Eesbeek
REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE
In the 1970s, to create devices that take off vertically, Panamarenko concentrated his research on rotation speed and lifting power. Portable Air Transport (P.A.T. for short), a small, portable flying machine from 1969, is the earliest craft in this collection. Panamarenko here explored mechanics in greater depth and developed a series of compact but powerful Pastille Motors to power his rucksack helicopters. The name Pastille Motor refers to the round, flat shape reminiscent of a large aspirin. The engine must not weigh more than twelve kg, while five kilos of fuel should be sufficient for twenty minutes’ flying. The power mechanism in these rucksack devices continued to evolve over the years. The Super Pepto Bismo, for example, is powered by a series of short lift-propellers driven by small but powerful engines. In 1986, on the basis of an illustrated text from the early 1970s, Panamarenko built his pedal-driven Helikopter. During a trip to Peru in 1990, the artist decided to make a hover-car (K2) which, so as to be able to fly between the trees, had to be a craft without propellers and without wings.