1981 Dr. Paul MacCready
At its annual conference in Los Angeles, California, IDSA honored Dr. MacCready for "his singular achievements in aeronautic design." Dr. MacCready designed the Gossamer Condor, a human-powered aircraft that in 1977 won the Kremer Prize of £50,000 by flying a figure-eight around two markers 4/5 of a kilometer apart, powered by bicycle drive and piloted by Bryan L. Allen.

In 1979, his Gossamer Albatross, another aircraft powered only by Bryan Allen, crossed the English Channel in 169 minutes. In 1980, Dr. MacCready's 68-pound Gossamer Penguin, the first solar-powered plane, flew nearly two miles.

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