The “Gossamer Condor” human-powered plane photographed in 1980. While the Condor proved that human-powered flight was possible, it also showcased the limitations of the concept, namely the extreme light weight required and the vulnerability to weather disturbances. (National Archives and Records Administration/Laura Bagnel)

The ‘Gossamer Condor’ Proved Humans Could Fly Under Their Own Power

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The aircraft weighed 70 pounds, was 96 feet wide, and allowed a human to pedal the propeller and move forward—at an anemic 11 miles per hour.

In 1977, an aircraft that looked too delicate for sustained flight took off from a short runway in California—and made aviation history. The Gossamer Condor, as that aircraft was known, was a decidedly odd-looking airplane. It had enormous wings and no conventional engine—and almost no weight whatsoever. Rather than a motor, its power plant came from the leg power of its pilot.

On August 23, 1977, pilot and (not coincidentally) avid cyclist Bryan Allen flew the strange aircraft around a prescribed figure-eight course at Minter Field in Shafter, California. The flight lasted less than 8 minutes, covering a distance of just 1.35 miles. But the achievement won designer Paul MacCready the Kremer Prize—and more importantly demonstrated that sustained, controllable human-powered flight was actually a real........

© The National Interest