http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Human powered flight en Mon, 18 May 2026 07:39:47 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4394#post-46342 Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:08:01 +0000 chdot 46342@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"The Gossamer Albatross was a human-powered aircraft built by American aeronautical engineer Dr. Paul B. MacCready's AeroVironment. On June 12, 1979 it completed a successful crossing of the English Channel to win the second Kremer prize."</p> <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Albatross" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossamer_Albatross</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4394#post-46341 Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:59:40 +0000 kaputnik 46341@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Fascinating!</p> <p>I was reading about human-powered helicopters a few months back. You really would need to be an athlete (with current designs and technology) to even get one of those things off the ground for more than 5 or 10 seconds. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=4394#post-46334 Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:45:31 +0000 cb 46334@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Interesting article including a wonderful bit of film from the 60s showing Derek Piggot making the first human powered flight; exactly how you would expect a 1960s record attempt in Britain to look.</p> <p>(I watched in silence as the laptop I'm using has a sound problem - will need to watch from somewhere else later).</p> <p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/nov/09/50-years-human-powered-flight?INTCMP=SRCH">http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/nov/09/50-years-human-powered-flight?INTCMP=SRCH</a></p> <p>I also liked the idea that human powered flight is not just reserved for the super fit:</p> <p>"<br /> "At last a new generation of human-powered aircraft is emerging, lighter and more manoeuvrable," enthuses the Aerospace Professional, the magazine of the Royal Aeronautical Society. "No longer will pilots have to be super athletes. Any reasonably fit person should be able to take to the air under their own power."<br /> " </p>