Gossamer Albatross
The
Gossamer Albatross was a
human-powered aircraft built by
American aeronautical engineer Dr.
Paul B. MacCready. On
June 12,
1979 it completed a successful crossing of the
English Channel to win the second
Kremer prize.
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The Gossamer Albatross II in flight. |
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Gossamer Albatross, close up of the cabin. |
The aircraft was powered using pedals to drive a large two-bladed propeller. Piloted by amateur cyclist
Bryan Allen it completed the 35.8 km (22.2 mi) crossing in 2 hours and 49 minutes, achieving a top speed of 29 km/h (18 mph) and an average altitude of 1.5 metres (5 feet).
The aircraft is of unusual configuration, using a large horizontal stabilizer forward in a manner similar to the
Wright brothers successful craft. The
Gossamer Albatross was constructed using plastic over a
carbon fiber frame, with the structure of the wings provided with expanded
polystyrene ribs. The entire structure was then wrapped in a thin, transparent plastic (
PET film). The empty
weight of the structure was only 32 kg (71 lb), although the gross weight for the Channel flight was almost 100 kg (220 lb). To maintain the craft in the air it was designed with very long tapering wings, like those of a glider, allowing the flight to be undertaken with a minimum of power. In still air the required power was on the order of 0.3 horsepower (200 W), though even mild turbulence made this figure rise rapidly.
:Length: 10.36 m (34.0 ft):Span: 29.77 m (97.7 ft):Height: 4.88 m (16.0 ft)
The aircraft was designed and built by a team led by Paul B. MacCready, a noted US aeronautics engineer, designer, and world soaring champion, and
Gossamer Albatross was his second human-powered aircraft. The first was the
Gossamer Condor which won the first Kremer prize on
August 23,
1977 by completing a specified figure-eight course.
MacCready's team built two Albatrosses; the back-up plane was jointly tested as part of the
NASA Langley/Dryden flight research program in
1980. The back-up craft was also flown inside the
Houston Astrodome, the first ever controlled indoor flights by a human-powered aircraft. The Albatross II is currently on display at the
Museum of Flight in
Seattle, Washington. The aircraft used in the channel-crossing is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's
Udvar-Hazy Center.
A follow-up to the
Albatross was the solar-powered
Gossamer Penguin in
1980. The "Penguin" airframe had been built by the MacCready team as a third craft for the cross-channel attempt; in most of its dimensions it was 3/4ths the size of the Gossamer Albatross, and was held in reserve as a speedier if slightly higher-powered alternative to be used if it were found that the Channel weather precluded success by the slower-flying Albatross.
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NASA's page on Gossamer Albatross II*
NASA image of Gossamer Albatross II*
List of displayed aircraft at Udvar-Hazy center*
Gossamer Albatross II at Seattle Museum of Flight*
Shows various MacCready & Aerovironment aircraft, including Gossamer Penguin
