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GV INTERIOR Pilot Bryan Allen and designer, Paul MacCready facing newsmen.
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2.
CU Designer MacCready speaking in English.
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3.
CU Allen speaking in English.
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MACCREADY: "We don't know what the future is. It wouldn't surprise me if somebody found it desirable to turn out kits of some improved vehicle that would be fun for people to fly, but nobody has any plans to do it at the moment and I don't think it's ever going to be, a big sport because the vehicle has to be so large and so delicate in order to operate on low power that it becomes quite inconvenient and can't be, can't be carried around easily, can't be flown in some weather conditions and that probably over-weighs the nice advantage of having a fun aeroplane for which a licence is not required, for the aeroplane, for the pilot. And whereas you're flying low and there's never any danger. Those are the good points but it's not practical."



ALLEN:"During the flight I...there were about four times in fact when things looked pretty grim and I just had to kind of, figuratively shake my fist and say, 'No, I'm not going to give up - I'm going to go on'. So the piloting task and the physical task was demanding enough that I didn't really have very much time to sit and reflect on, well, I wonder how long its going to take or other sort of questions like that."




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Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: The man who designed the first muscle-powered flying machine to cross the English Channel doubts that his contraption or anything similar will ever "take off" as a sport amongst flying enthusiasts. Californian Paul MacCready said this at a news conference in London on Thursday (14 June) with his cyclist-pilot, Bryan Allen. The pair made history on Tuesday (12 June) when Allen pedal - flew the 22 miles (35.4 kilometres) from Folkstone, in southern England, to Cap Gris Nez, in France, in just under three hours.

SYNOPSIS: At the news conference, MacCready pondered the future of his invention.