The Flight of the Gossamer Condor

Since the beginning of time, humans have attempted to fly. Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved this with a motor-powered airplane in 1903, but a human-powered flying machine remained elusive. So, in 1959, British industrialist Henry Kremer offered £50,000 to anyone who could develop a human-powered aircraft. Many tried to no avail. So, in the 1970s, AeroVironment employee Paul MacCready decided to tackle the challenge. The result was the Gossamer Condor, with increased wing area to reduce drag.

Ben Shedd's Academy Award-winning documentary "The Flight of the Gossamer Condor" looks at the development and launch of MacCready's brainchild. Naturally it took a few tries, but they eventually succeeded and went on to win the Kremer Prize (I doubt that I have to warn about spoilers; the documentary's title IS the spoiler). It looks like an impressive and fun process. This is one documentary that should dispel the notion that science is boring, or that people shouldn't try to innovate. Good times.