Hewitt-Sperry Automatic Airplane and Lawrence Sperry decided that he would be the test pilot. While taxiing it on ice, he hit some slushy snow, and wrecked the plane, though Sperry was unhurt. A second airplane was fitted out, and Sperry managed to get it in the air, but lost control when the automatic pilot was engaged. After two complete rolls, Sperry managed to regain control and land safely. Clearly, though, more attention to flight testing the basic design was needed, particularly in the area of handling qualities. Sperry and his assistant, N. W. Dalton, obtained a Marmon automobile, and mounted the Curtiss-Sperry Flying
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