Many of the human powered aircraft compete for Kremer Prizes. Kremer Prizes are cash awards for human powered flight accomplishments.
The first human powered aircraft to win a Kremer Prize was the Gossamer Condor 2 in 1977. The Condor was piloted by Bryan Allen. He was able to accomplish the feat of flying a figure eight course of a total of a mile at least 10 feet above the ground.
The next Kremer Prize was awarded to Pilot Bryan Allen flying the Gossamer Albatross across the English Channel which was about 22 miles in a time of two hours and forty-nine minutes.
In 1988 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Daedalus flew a record breaking distance of 71.5 miles in just under 4 hours, literally island hopping in the Mediterranean.
The aircraft was piloted by an Olympic class bicyclist Kanellos Kanellopoulos who flew the Daedalus from Crete to the island of Santorini almost 72 miles away across the sea.
Daedalus
Gossamer Albatross
Gossamer Condor
SUMPAC
