Museum holds Gossamer anniversary celebration

The Minter Field Air Museum held a celebration on Saturday night, commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Gossamer Condor historic flight in Shafter.

Gossamer Condor was the first human-powered aircraft in the world, reaching speeds of 38 miles per hour in flight.

The event started coming together late last year. Museum Board Chairman Ronald Pierce was contacted by Jean Peters, whose father had taken video of the historic test flight and wondered if Pierce and the museum might be interested in it.

"They transferred the Super 8 film into a DVD and an idea was born. "'I thought that it would be great to get a lot of the people that were involved in the project together for a reunion. The film hadn't been shown in public, so it would be the perfect accompaniment to the event," Pierce said. .

There was a sold-out house at Hodel's Country Dining in Bakersfield. The crowd was a mix of aviation enthusiasts and members of the different teams that had worked on the various projects. In the beginning, it was the Gossamer Condor, followed by the Albatross and the solar-powered Solar Challenger. Emceed by KGET's Jim Scott, the celebration included a silent auction, dinner and speeches by three of the pilots of the aircraft.

Bryan Allen, who was the pilot for the Condor, spoke at the event. Allen said that he was so thankful to be a part of this amazing group and felt lucky to be a part of it. "It was an amazing feeling, up in the air, and I can't say enough about the wonderful people who made it possible."

Allen and the group, headed up by Paul McCready, won the British Kremer Prize, offered to the group that created the first human-powered aircraft that completed a figure-eight route that spanned one mile.

McCready was an aeronautical engineer that founded the company AeroVironment. He took his inspiration from hang gliders, increasing wing area so that the drag of the wire bracing needed would be reduced. The Gossamer Condor is built around a large wing with a gondola for the pilot underneath and a canard control surface on a fuselage extension in front, and is mostly built of lightweight plastics with aluminum spars.

Janice Sullivan, a grade-school teacher from Bakersfield, was the pilot of the solar-powered Challenger. Sullivan had acquired commercial and glider pilot credentials.

Sullivan's diminutive stature, Sullivan said, was probably a key to her being selected as the pilot for the test flight. "I was only 98 pounds, so I think that had a lot to do with my being chosen. But, no matter the reason, it was one of the most exciting experiences of my life."

The evening was full of reminiscing by the group, many of which were seeing each other for the first time in decades.

The field representative for Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains presented Allen, Sullivan, Sam Duran and Pierce with proclamations recognizing their accomplishments.