Gossamer Condor

American aircraft

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June 29, 2026

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The Gossamer Condor was the first aircraft to successfully complete the Kremer Prize course, which required a man-powered flight of 1.15 miles (1.85 km) in under six minutes. This historic flight took place on August 23, 1977, with Bryan Allen piloting the 70-pound aircraft, which had a wingspan of 96 feet.1

Designed by American aerodynamicist Paul Beattie MacCready, the Gossamer Condor was a testament to innovative engineering. MacCready, a physicist and aeronautics expert, also designed the Gossamer Albatross, which later achieved the first man-propelled flight across the English Channel, and the Solar Challenger, an early solar-powered aircraft. These achievements highlight MacCready's pioneering work in human-powered and solar-powered aviation.12

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Paul Beattie MacCready
, MacCready’s Gossamer Condor, pedaled and piloted by 137-pound (62-kilogram) Bryan Allen, a bicyclist and hang-glider enthusiast, completed the course required to win the Kremer Prize of £50,000 ($95,000), clearing a 10-foot- (3-metre-) high start-and-finish line while making a figure-eight flight around two pylons set half a…
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, MacCready’s Gossamer Condor, pedaled and piloted by 137-pound (62-kilogram) Bryan Allen, a bicyclist and hang-glider enthusiast, completed the course required to win the Kremer Prize of £50,000 ($95,000), clearing a 10-foot- (3-metre-) high start-and-finish line while making a figure-eight flight around two pylons set half a…
Read More