San Diego County has such a rich history in aviation, we thought
it worth noting that today -- June 12, 2012 -- is the 33rd
anniversary of an historic flight that was made possible, in
part, by testing conducted in Southern California. Cyclist-pilot
Bryan Allen became the first person to successfully fly a human
powered aircraft across the English Channel. Allen was at the
controls of the Gossamer Albatross, which crossed the channel in
2 hours and 49 minutes. He covered a distance of 22.2 miles. The
Gossamer Albatross was the successor to the Gossamer Condor.
Both were designed by the legendary Paul MacCready, the Caltech
grad who founded the Southern California company AeroVironment.
The company, located in Monrovia, says in its corporate history
that, "The main differences between the two aircraft were a
reduced wing area and shorter wing chord on the Albatross, along
with the switch from an aluminum main structure to carbon fiber-
reinforced plastics. “The initial construction and load-testing
of the Albat