Zero emissions aviation is taking too long to arrive. Already, four decades ago, on April 23, 1988, a world record for human-powered flight -- still standing -- was set: 3 hrs 54 minutes and 115 km. It was the culmination of years of research at MIT, into aerodynamics, lightweight structures and human physiology. Inspired by the ancient Greek myth of Daedalus, inventor of aviation, and his son Icarus who together escaped from Crete (hence the name MIT Daedalus), the scientists set out to prove that a human being could generate enough sustained power to fly a considerable distance without an engine, using just a bicycle pedal, gearboxes and drive shafts that spun a massive 3.4 metre propeller at the front of the aircraft. Greek Olympic cyclist Kanellos Kanellopoulos was chosen as the modern Icarus, after 6 months of training. The aircraft made out of kevlar and weighing just 31 kg, had the wingspan of a Boeing 737 (34 metres). As soon as Aeolos, the mythic ruler of the winds, allowed, the flight from Crete to Santorini -- at a leisurely pace of 25km/hr and unlike Icarus (who flew too close to the sun) at an altitude of just 10 metres to benefit from the ground effect and for safety -- was a historic success, although it actually ended with a bang: like Icarus, and thanks to a sudden wind gust, Kanellopoulos also crashed into the sea, just a few metres off the coast of Santorini. The waters were shallow and he made it safely ashore uninjured. The aircraft, recovered and pieced back together, is stored at the Smithsonian, while a backup version is suspended on display at Terminal B, Dulles International Airport, Washington DC. Kanellopoulos, a 15-time Greek Champion who is 69 today, later became an accomplished church painter and iconographer. In 1988, he received the prestigious Harmon Trophy offered for outstanding aviation achievements. Just imagine what can be achieved with electric power-assisted steering today! And where are those electric commercial airliners?
You may read about the flight's technical details and background here