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| Landmark #923 | Kern County | Visited: January 26, 2013 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A plaque at Shafter Airport! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: This plaque at Shafter Airport commemorates the world’s first man-powered flight to complete the Kremer Circuit, August 23, 1977. The circuit, a figure eight around two pylons one-half mile apart, was completed in six minutes, twenty-two seconds. The plane was designed by Dr. Paul MacCready, Jr. and flown by Bryan Allen. A cash prize of 50,000 pounds was awarded by the Royal Aeronautical Society, London, England.
OTHER TIDBITS: The idea for this course was designed by British industrialist, Henry Kremer, in 1959, and for seventeen years, the challenge went unconquered! That’s when Dr. MacCready came up with a revolutionary idea from watching circling vultures: He could win this challenge if he flew very, very slowly in a very light aircraft. He later described his Gossamer Condor as a “big model airplane” with a warped wingspan of 96 feet and a total weight of only 70 pounds. After weeks of tests and a few crashes, often repaired using only Scotch tape, Dr. MacCready literally pedaled his way through the Kremer Circuit! Rocketed to aeronautical fame, Dr. MacCready went on to win a second Kremer Prize for peddling the Gossamer Albatross across the English Channel. His company, AeroVironment, later created the Helios, which ran on solar power and set an altitude record of over 96,000 feet! He even created a life-sized flying pterosaur for the Smithsonian! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Entrance to Shafter Airport Lerdo Hwy 5 mi E of Shafter, CA 93263 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~123mi (198km) — 2.1hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |