Category:Gossamer Albatross

The Gossamer Albatross was designed and built by a team led by Paul B. MacCready with the aim of winning the second Kremer prize : a flight across the English Channel with a human-powered aircraft.
Based on the successful Gossamer Condor built mostly of lightweight plastics with aluminum spars, the Albatross was constructed using a carbon fiber frame, with the ribs of the wings made with expanded polystyrene; the entire structure was then wrapped in a thin, transparent plastic (mylar film). With their very long, tapering wings (high aspect ratio) linked with a gondola for the pilot underneath and a canard control surface on a fuselage extension in front, the Albatros weight only 70 lb (31.75 kg) despite its wingspan of 97.67 feet (29,77 m) (the same one of an Embraer E170).
On 12 June 1979, the 22.2-mile (35.7 km) crossing was achieved in 2 hours and 49 minutes between Folkestone, England and a beach at Cap Gris-Nez in France.

This page lists all films that feature the Gossamer Albatross.

See also

• Gossamer Albatross at Wikipedia.