Champion bicyclist and hang-gliding enthusiast Bryan Allen
demonstrates sustained, maneuverable, human-powered flight while flying
the "Gossamer Condor" for 7 minutes, 2.7 seconds in a closed course. The
"Gossamer Condor" was designed by Dr. Paul MacCready and Dr. Peter Lissamen
and was made of thin aluminum tubes, mylar plastic, and stainless steel
wire. By making the flight, Allen collected the $95,000 Kremer Prize, established
in 1959 by British industrialist Henry Kremer.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lindbergh/timeline/index_2.html
The Gossamer Albatross II was involved in slow-speed flight tests at
the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California in the spring of
1980.
The original Gossamer Albatross is best known for completing the first
completely human powered flight across the English Channel on June 12,
1979. Dr. Paul McCready was later awarded the most prestigious prize in
American aviation, the Collier Trophy for his work in the record breaking
project.
The Albatross II was the backup craft for the Channel flight. It was
fitted with a small battery-powered electric motor and flight instruments
for the NASA research program in low-speed flight. The minimal power required
to fly this 94-foot-span aircraft suggested it could be solar-powered,
and led to numerous later record breaking projects involving solar energy.
NASA completed its flight testing of the Gossamer Albatross II and began
analysis of the results in April, 1980.
During the six week program, 17 actual data gathering flights and 10
other flights were flown here as part of the joint NASA Langley/Dryden
flight research program.
The lightweight craft, carrying a miniaturized instrumentation system,
was flown in three configurations; using human power, with a small electric
motor, and towed with the propeller removed.
Results from the program contributed to data on the unusual aerodynamic,
performance, stability, and control characteristics of large, lightweight
aircraft that fly at slow speeds for application to future high altitude
aircraft.
The Albatross' design and research data contributed to numerous later
high altitude projects, including the Pathfinder.
http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Albatross/HTML/
Dr. MacCready is widely known as the "father of human powered flight"
for ground-breaking AeroVironment aircraft flown in the late 1970s, including
two of the vehicles now in the Smithsonian collection. The Gossamer Condor
won the Kremer prize for the first controlled human-powered airplane flight
in 1977. Two years later, the Gossamer Albatross won a second Kremer prize
for a human-powered flight across the English Channel.
http://www.aerovironment.com/news/news-archive/maccready-ASME.html
