With the propellers like that, is it really achieving flight, or is it just ground effect?

Human-powered flight is the most idiotic and useless activity to focus on. It is completely impractical, you will never fly to work in one of these contraptions. This is about as sensible as making a human-powered car.

"Human-powered flight is the most idiotic and useless activity to focus on. It is completely impractical..."
It's also one of mankind's most powerful dreams.
http://www.gizmag.com/go/1525/
Just under 200 km in 4 hours over the Mediterranean is not impractical.

They should have put a power lifter or sprinter on it.

re; John Stone
They are achieving rotary-wing flight on a extremely limited energy budget an you see no value in this?

It's only achieving ground effect, but many consider getting off the ground at all as "flight". Also, it may not be a practical transportation device, but the research and development involved has the potential for developing new technologies and flight efficiency that may be adapted to more practical uses, so I think it's worth the endeavor. Not to mention the education and experience that those involved are getting. And I think the pedal cab is a pretty useful invention.

Kids have lots of fun in human powered cars and trikes.

@seanw yes they really did achieve flight.
@John Stone Human powered flight itself is impractical but the design efficiency required to make it happen is impressive and could have other applications.

@John Stone
Something like a human-powered car does exist... It's called a bicycle. Their are also human powered water-craft called paddle boats and row boats. It is not completely out of the realm of possibility that somebody might be able to somehow channel human energy in a way that makes human-powered flight possible.

would there be a net gain if solar panels were added? i.e. energy created more than offsets the additional weight?