Tyler MacCready's Walkalong Glider

After presenting the Winfree Lecture at the third Citizen Science Conference, Dr. P aul MacCready produced various flying machines and gadgets to show the audience.

He first produced an ornithopter fashioned from tiny wood sticks and plastic. Ana Soto-Canino assisted by turning a crank that stored energy in the rubber-band powered flapping system. Dr. MacCready then launched the ornithopter into flight. The tiny flapping machine cruised all the way to the ceiling before descending to a chair below.

After the ornithopter demonstration, an enthusiastic group quickly gathered at one end of an aisle, which they transformed into a Walkalong Glider flyway. The Walkalong Glider was developed by Dr. Tyler MacCready, one of Paul MacCready's sons. During the lecture, Paul MacCready showed a video of Tyler flying a Walkalong Glider with the updraft from his head as he walked.

Several people learned to fly the gliders reasonably well for first timers. When attempts by a few would-be flyers were not successful, Dr. MacCready walked over to the "runway" and gave a demonstration of how to fly a Walkalong Glider.