Why can't you step out of the second story window and fly anywhere you wish this minute? With today's lightweight powerful computers, modern materials and advanced methods of making things, people still can't fly around as freely as birds. It's not because suitable materials haven't been available or affordable. In the 1950s, a dozen or so ordinary people formed a group to develop a Dutch levitation invention from mere drawings to actually flying Like birds, they had to learn to fly-not an easy task. And what was the best way to use the new skill? This was the sort of project that showed humans at their best and worst. As the dream of personal flight edges closer, the exuberant fliers inspire other investigators to share the amazing adventure. Here is how it happened, and why you can't fly home tonight.