The Flight of the Gossamer Condor

The Flight of the Gossamer Condor is an American documentary from the year 1978.

Action

The film shows the development of the first maneuverable, operated with pure human power aircraft. The team led by Dr. Paul MacCready designed a light aircraft whose propeller was driven by pedals. The cyclist Bryan Allen was the pilot of the Gossamer Condor, who completed the first powered by muscle power flight.

Awards

1979 the film in the category of Best Short Documentary was awarded the Oscar.

Background

The premiere took place in October 1978 at the Chicago International Film Festival.

The first flight of the Gossamer Condor was held at the airport of Shafter on 23 August 1977. Bryan Allen flew with the unit in three meters over a distance of about two kilometers, a figure of eight. With this performance, the team won the first Kremer Prize.

With the successor model Gossamer Albatross Bryan Allen flew on 12 June 1979 on the English Channel. Here, Allen put in 2:49 hours covering a distance of 35.8 kilometers. Reward was the second Kremer Prize.