Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane for eight years, and yet Sperry became intrigued with the concept of applying radio control to them. He realized that for radio control to be effective, automatic stabilization would be essential, so he decided to adapt his naval gyro-stabilizers (which he had developed for destroyers). In 1913, the Navy provided a flying boat to test and evaluate the gyro-based autopilot. Sperry's son Lawrence served as an engineer during the test phase. In 1914, Lawrence Sperry was in Europe and observed the developing techniques of aerial warfare, including the use of aircraft. In 1916, the two Sperrys joined Peter Hewitt, an
The Mothers of Invention "Bongo Fury" in 1975, which featured live recordings from a tour the same year that had reunited him with Captain Beefheart for a brief period. They later became estranged for a period of years, but were in contact at the end of Zappa's life. "Bongo Fury" was the last new album to be credited to the Mothers. In 1993, Zappa released "Ahead of Their Time", an album of previously recorded material by the original Mothers of Invention lineup. The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention were an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked