Customer Reviews

Gossamer Odyssey: The Triumph of Human-Powered Flight

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Morton Grosser came to Shafter and to our homes while we were trying to build the first man-powered plane. He wrote a book that centered on the people that were working, thinking and arguing towards the goal. If you want a feel of what it was like to do something for the first time ever, read this book.

This was a very informative book and gave lots of insight into the hugh effort that must have gone into this age-old quest. The focus at the personal level gives a nice picture of what the individuals must have gone through. Makes you think "Hey, I could have been there..." Very enjoyable.

If you have any aviation interest, you will like this story. Paul MacCready was a remarkable aviation innovator whose unconventional, out-of-the-box thinking won the Kremer Prize; a prize awarded the designer of the first man-powered aircraft to fly in a figure eight one-mile circuit. The book is well written, and you will share the ups and downs of the development process experienced by MacCready and his team. He went on to win the Kremer prize for the first man-powered flight across the English Channel. You will really admire the pilot Bryan Allen.