Paul MacCready, the internationally acclaimed engineer known as the father of human-powered flight, died at his home in Pasadena on Aug. 29. He was 81.

MacCready was perhaps best known for his fantastical inventions, the Gossamer Condor and the Gossamer Albatross, which made the world’s first sustained and controlled human-powered flights. Though he began his career with attempts to change the weather, MacCready soon turned his considerable gifts to the notions of soaring and gliding, which had entranced him from an early age.

NewEnergyNews has a loving page dedicated to MacCready's life.

The man who showed humans how to fly under their own power now soars in history. He was tactiturn yet funny, quiet yet articulate, gentle yet stronger than steel, reasonable yet firm of opinion, unconventional yet profoundly practical.

You can also find photos of the man and some of his fascinating inventions on the Academy of Achievement's web page.

(photo: Paul MacCready at age 13.)