The weather was the biggest concern.
The chief designer of the "flying bicycle" (as journalists jokingly called the "Albatross") Paul MacCready had repeatedly stated: "With good weather, we gain a quarter of a horsepower." And this is not insignificant for such an unusual venture as flying across the English Channel on the "Albatross." Although the apparatus weighs only 25 kg, the pilot will have to work hard, pedaling continuously to turn the 4.04-meter diameter propeller at 72 rpm. Only under these conditions will the polyamide-covered "dragonfly" with a wingspan of 29.09 meters take to the air and start covering 18 km/h.
By examining meteorological statistics over the past 60 years, the aviators noticed that May and June offer the best weather conditions for the flight: a light northwesterly wind gently blowing over a very calm sea; it’s warm, yet the sun isn’t hot enough to damage the synthetic structure of the apparatus. Furthermore, the flight conditions are far from comfortable: the pilot sits in a closed cabin made of transparent foil. Onboard, the necessary equipment includes a thermometer, altimeter, and a pocket radio for contact with the rescue team accompanying the aircraft by boat.
They waited a long time for a favorable moment. Finally, on the evening of June 11, hope appeared: the wind was southwest at 5 knots, visibility more than 10 km, sea state up to 2, and cloud cover ranging from mid to high.
Perfect! The "Albatross" would now fly accompanied by five boats, ready to launch from Folkestone. Throughout the night, two doctors, a meteorologist, a photographer, and two inflatable boats with divers awaited Brian Allen, ready for the start.
Preliminary work was done. Air traffic control promised to clear the Channel during the flight, and meteorologists would constantly provide the team with reliable updates on any weather changes. It was 3:20 am.
 |
A hundred journalists, photographers, and awake local enthusiasts gathered on the steep cliff. Ahead lay the English Channel. Brian climbed into the narrow cabin. Pedaling, the pilot set the apparatus in motion. What a disappointment! After two meters, a landing gear breakdown occurred. Repairs began. Nevertheless, at 5:41 am, the start was finally successful. Yet again, an issue: after a few meters of flight over the water, Brian had to veer off so that the accompanying boats could bypass a sandbank... It seemed everything should go well from there, but no, the pilot, flying at an altitude of 5 meters, had to yield to a tanker that, despite the occupied channel, continued on its course indifferently...
...An hour into the flight, MacCready accompanied his protégé on the lead boat. "Legs are heavy, feeling a strong weight in them," reported Brian Allen. But this quickly passed, as his high level of training helped him cope with the unpleasant symptom. After all, about a hundred experimental flights had been conducted before this one. Although many ended disastrously. "Fifteen 'Albatrosses' crashed to pieces. We didn’t even gather their bones!" Allen would later say
The conditions for this unique competition were set in 1959. That was when influential industrialist Kremer established a prize to be awarded to the person who could fly a heavier-than-air machine over a certain distance. But after numerous accidents, team member Jack Conmy said, "Let them clarify all the prize conditions, or we'll never get it and be left with eleven pounds in our pockets..."
Eventually, the prize organizers arrived at an "exact" formulation, which roughly stated: cross the English Channel, and the prize is yours.
MacCready and his team got to work. In a few weeks of meticulous effort, they managed to reduce the apparatus's weight by 12 kg. "We found role models in nature itself. For example, the idea of flight control was suggested by... a falcon. If it wants to turn, it does so with its tail. So we made an artificial tail but placed it in front. The pilot pulls a cord and does with the 'tail' what the bird does. And the dragonfly, an insect that easily makes long flights, inspired the final design of the apparatus... We made the gear wheels from acetate resin, they are very light, and in general, the goal was to 'accurately' replicate the weight ratios of a bird in the apparatus and the pilot..."
...After 2 hours and 50 minutes, the flight ended. Exhausted, Brian Allen landed the machine on the French shore. MacCready cried — a long-held dream of the designer had come true. Humans can now fly in the sky relying solely on their own strength!
