Solar Powered Aircraft

cool, that landing gear is pretty crazy. i wonder how long the trip will take with weather diversions at 44mph, and what altitude they plan to fly at. i would guess the higher the better if sun is your fuel.
 
Interesting. According to their website, it looks like they will gradually climb throughout the day and gradually descend at night is addition to charging batteries. No info about altitude ranges, other than TBD.

I'm glad they're planning on making stops. It sets an around-the-world benchmark for others to beat, eventually leading to a non-stop flight.
 
FAR 91.319(d)(2) Operate under VFR, day only, unless otherwise specifically authorized by the Administrator

so i guess they had it authorized for night but it probably cannot handle potention turbulent forces that may be in IMC due to its structural integrity (aka floppy wings)
 
OregonTrail said:
Im not sure if experimentals can go IFR, ill check the regs but i am guessing no.
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VFR would help with the the solar insolation problem required to recharge the batteries, as a practical matter.:D

I would expect that any flights would near the solstice to keep the days relatively long, unless they were near the equator, then it would be near the equinoxes. I wonder if higher latitudes near the solistice (very short nights) would offset the lower angle of arrival of the suns rays (lower insolation). There would have to be a sweet spot, probably around 60 degrees latitude. Say about now. Just a guess.

AOPA just arrived in the mail today, and they had a special on green technology. They had a blurb on electric drives, and I think one had solar panels (glider with electric range extender motor). With the new higher density (weight:Energy) lithium polymer batteries technology coming, you may see electric LSAs and motorized gliders using batteries. Hopefully with new battery technology driven by the auto industry, we will see this soon.
:D:D
 
i was talking about experimental a/c in general, but a fun fact being that you can generate solar power on an overcast day
 
granlistillo said:
True dat... In some cases the efficiencies actually rise. But in general, sunny skies rule.
I was just making an aside.
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well that was the only section of your comment i could read, the whole equinox and equater and solstice thing and 60 degrees really just went over my head. i think i get the just of it though but im not sure is a 360 around the north pole counts :sarcasm:
 
It'll take a while for everything to switch to green technology but I wonder where the aviation industry will go when it does. It could get a lot better or a lot worse. Who knows. . .
 
I know it sounds silly, but try it out ... "solar-powered jet engine" :)

A quick, back-of-the-envelope estimation tells me that a 737-sized airplane needs about 13.9 MW for cruise flight. And solar panel efficiency is around 130 W/m². So, the airplane would need about 107,600 m² of solar paneling ... a 737's wing area is about 125 m².

Okay, fine, it is silly. :p

The next generation of solar-powered airships will obviously have to be lavishly accommodated for the two-day trip across the Atlantic.
 
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