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The first human-powered flight took place November 9, 1961, in collaboration with the University of Southampton. This week, the luminescence from bike-oriented commemorate the milestone in aviation

Fifty years ago, Derek Piggott became the first man since Icarus to take off and fly under its own efforts.

late in the afternoon of November 9, 1961, the aircraft climbed to the man at the University of Southampton engines (Sumpac), a fragile creation looks like a model airplane with a great bike below. Pedaling furiously for two-wheel drive and propeller, was Sumpac off for a flight of 64 meters in a precarious 1.8 meters above the runway at Lasham.

Although short and about 20 miles per hour, very slow, it was a historic flight:. The previous pilot had flown to the pedal, but need help to get some air

men next half-century began promising bird community of man-powered aircraft. Airglow Saturday, one of the successors of high-tech Sumpac, wind and weather permitting required for these delicate vessels in the short calm the situation, make a flight to commemorate the British mini-stage aircraft at the airfield in Hampshire . The Royal Aeronautical Society will also hold a meeting of human-powered aircraft in July 2012, just before the London Olympics, which the fans expect to generate enough interest in the pedal, finally, the sport in future games.

Piggott, now 88, continued to fly. "I have flown over 170 different types of sailing and more than 130 different types of aircraft engines," he recalls. He has taught in primary glider used for training of meteors, the first British jet fighter . He held the record high and glider to fly the aircraft in the 1965 comedy film Those Magnificent Men in their flying machines.

still fly both aircraft and motor gliders, but after several attempts over the following week, in 1961, where he managed a flight of more than half a mile, was never chair the constituency of the race track itself.

the University of Southampton is back at the forefront of the British human-powered airplane. "We are executing a group project for 10 graduate students in fourth grade," says physicist Alexander Forrester reasonable engineering department. "I am a test pilot, I am in a program of weight loss. I bought new batteries for your bathroom scale. "
"Cycling in the air" could soon become much more accessible thanks to Fred, one of the few people who stole their art - an inflatable, 100 ft wide design when deflated may be related to a car roof rack. "I made my plane on a short - a minute to fly at 8 mph -. My plane was still quite slow -. It's a fantastic feeling "