Gossamer albatross: is it a plane or cycle? Undoubtedly it’s an airplane yet pedals like a cycle only to fly this time. What? It sounds a bit too surprising! Yeah, you see, they have done all kinds of experiments in aviation. Some got success while others did not much. Before you get too confused, I am going to tell you about the airplane.
About the great Gossamer Albatross
Who created it?
AeroVironment aircraft company developed, built, and flew the airplane in the year 1979. Besides, they also specialized in creating unmanned air vehicles.
Man powered aircraft – Gossamer Albatross
Gossamer albatross has no engines. It is a purely man-powered aircraft. A man should have to pedal to make it fly. Seems interesting, doesn’t it!
Simple design, We wouldn’t have come across a lot of simply designed aircraft, would we? This Gossamer albatross had a simple design. It just weighs about 32 kg. So skinny for an airplane! The frame of the gossamer albatross is made of carbon fiber. However, it had long wings.
Lengthy wings
Yes, the Gossamer albatross had even longer wings. Notably, the machine power was quite less compared to others. It must need big wings, right! Thus, the lengthy wings were made just for it. Also, the entire airplane was wrapped in plastic. Especially, the entire airplane comes at a lesser weight.
Wooden propeller
Particularly, the propeller of the airplane is made of light-weighted wood too. In addition to that, the aircraft had a pedal, wires., That’s about it!
All the man-powered aircraft were weightless. You see, man must use his power to make the airplane fly high. Mainly, it had such aerodynamics for flying with minimal power. Hope you got it.
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Weight could be a major issue
The total weight should be about 100 kilograms. Do you know why? Else, it couldn’t even fly. Importantly, the Gossamer albatross pilot must have about 68 kg of weight. So that the airplane would lift properly. That’s right! People faced quite a few issues in flying the Gossamer albatross.
Gossamer albatross flew at last
Bryan Allen, the cyclist, flew Gossamer albatross for the first time. After all, it takes a good cyclist to pedal the aircraft. He used his pedal power to lift it. Bryan Allen flew it across the English Channel, located in England.
Firstly, the radio control of the flight is disabled. The pilot didn’t have any communication with the external team. Hand gestures helped through them.
Secondly, the wind flow caused a big issue. How would a man fly an aircraft when the wind doesn’t allow it? Thus, the aircraft flew when the wind didn’t push it down.
Finally, Bryan Allen flew the flight with less wind flow supporting it. He flew in just 2 hours and 49 minutes around 36 km.
Gossamer albatross became the first man-powered flight to do that. Whereas, Bryan Allen became the first pilot to fly that, too.
Conclusion
It wouldn’t be easy to fly an airplane using only manpower. That too in 2 hours and 49 minutes for 36 km. It would have been easier to travel yet not easy flying. Gossamer albatross is a wonder to know without a doubt. Wouldn’t you agree?
Read to know more about the MacCready Gossamer Albatross and also you can read this article to know more about the Paul Beattie MacCready