The Flight of the Gossamer Condor

27 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

The Flight of the Gossamer Condor is a 1978 American short documentary film directed by Ben Shedd, about the development of the Gossamer Condor, the first human-powered aircraft, by a team led by Paul MacCready. The Academy Film Archive preserved The Flight of the Gossamer Condor in 2007.^[1]

Reception

In the education magazine Media & Methods, David Mallery called Flight of the Gossamer Condor "a film or extraordinary appeal", writing that "the Shedds' most subtle achievement - least flashy, most serving to their subject - is that we are thoroughly caught up in the work of the MacCready group, are intimately a part of their struggles, their determination, their energy." Mallery concludes "It's a joyous experience. I recommend it with special enthusiasm."^[2]

The Flight of the Gossamer Condor won an Oscar at the 51st Academy Awards in 1979 for Documentary Short Subject.^[3][4]

Cast

• Bryan Allen as Himself - Final Pilot
• Paul B. MacCready as Himself (as Paul MacCready)
• Tyler MacCready as Himself
• Greg Miller as Himself
• Peter Lissaman (Engineer) as Himself
• Roger Steffens as Narrator (voice)

References

External links

• Watch The Flight of the Gossamer Condor on YouTube, posted by San Diego Air and Space Museum
• The Flight of the Gossamer Condor at IMDb