The search for a perfect flapping-wing airplane is, for aeronautical engineers, like mathematicians' quest to solve Fermat's Last Theorem - fuelled by an insatiable hunger for knowledge.

The Greeks told mythic tales about Daedalus and Icarus who fled the Labyrinth on wings of wax and feathers.

Da Vinci was so fascinated with the idea he conceived an elaborate plan for an ornithopter.

In August, 1977 the 'Gossamer Condor' was designed by a team under the direction of Paul B. MacCready. It had a 29 m (96 ft) wingspan and was constructed out of cardboard, piano wire, aluminum tubing and Mylar plastic. Byron Allen, a competitive bicyclist, piloted the aircraft over the course, making two turns and passing over a three metre (10 ft) high barrier in 6.5 minutes.

In June 1979, Byron Allen pedaled the Gossamer Albatross, a 27 kg (60 lb) aircraft with a wingspan of 29.3 m (96 ft) across the English Channel.

On January 22, 1987, a new distance record for human-powered flight was set by Glenn Tremml, a 26-year old medical student, who pedaled the Eagle (41.73 kg/92 lb) for 60 km (37.3 miles) at California's Edwards Air Force Base.

This was surpassed by the Daedalus, powered by cycling champion Kanellos Kanellopoulos, who flew 119 km (74 m) from Crete, crash landing at the Aegean Island of Santorini.

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