The Gossamer Penguin was a scaled-down version of the Gossamer Albatross, and had been designed as a backup aircraft for that project. When MacCready decided to pursue piloted solar-powered aircraft, his team first turned to the smaller version of the Albatross. Thirteen-year old Marshall MacCready was the first pilot of the Gossamer Penguin, and he made the first manned solar-powered flight on May 18, 1980. Janice Brown (now Sullivan) flew a public demonstration at Edwards Air Force Base, California on August 7, 1980, flying 1.95 miles in 14 minutes and 21 seconds. Then MacCready's efforts turned to the Solar Challenger. These photographs are presented in low-resolution form. If you need a higher resolution image, please contact me from the email link on the Home page. Click on any thumbnail to view a larger version.