R.I.P. Paul MacCready, ‘Father of Human-Powered Flight’

Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 08.30.07 | 12:41 PM ET

Paul MacCready, the engineer who designed the first plane to fly under only human power, has died at the age of 81. Reports the AP: “On Aug. 23, 1977, the MacCready-designed, lightweight Gossamer Condor made the first sustained, controlled flight powered solely by a human. The flight, pedal-powered by pilot Bryan Allen, lasted just 7 1/2 minutes but covered a figure-eight course with pylons a half-mile apart at the airport in Shafter, Calif.”