Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Entwood]

http://www.solarimpulse.com/widget-energy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UmzEFNSVIM

Been watching this leg for the last couple of days, as well as all the previous legs.

Truly ground breaking flight

[Varche]

Yes. Great stuff isn't it.

Might look primitive now but in 30 years might be helping all planes whilst cruising.

[Kevin Wood]

I don't know what's slower, their plane or their web site.

It is an interesting project, but I suspect the technology will be more useful in replacing satellites with long endurance aircraft than for passenger travel. Don't under estimate how little energy it's using in comparison to an airliner. 17 kilowatts currently. You probably need to be into the hundreds of megawatts, certainly many, many tens of megawatts for what we would regard as a sensible passenger jet today.

Incidentally, a friend of mine has just ordered an electric self-launching glider, so I'm interested to see what he ends up with.

[Varche]

Yes but we said that of electric cars when we were kids. Look how they have come on. Agreed 17 KW isn't much.

[Entwood]

At its max it generates around 32kW, still low I agree, but IMHO it is still an amazing feat, to fly around the world using just the power of the sun.

As I type the batteries are full and all 32kW is going to the engines as he starts his climb to altitude ready for the night glide.

[Kevin Wood]

Didn't mean to belittle their achievement at all. I have to think about whether I'd classify it as a glider, mind.  

Certainly, the flying is a feat in itself, engineering aside. It's damned cold flying an unpressurised aircraft at altitude for hours, let alone days, and practically sleepless nights, then having to gather together the alertness to land something with that wingspan safely. 

[Entwood]

Seems I was wrong .. nothing new there !! - at the max it can generate around 66 kW !!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse

[biggriffin]

We had a plane that could, travel at mach2, and people think that a solar powered wingy is progress

[Entwood]

I'm normally very anti "selfies" .. but this one is pretty spectacular !





Congratulations to all the team on another successful flight

[Sir Tigger KC]

We had a plane that could, travel at mach2, and people think that a solar powered wingy is progress

It's gonna save the world man!! 

Joking aside, I'm with Entwood on this as it's an impressive achievement!  80-90 years ago they were hopping round the world in petrol engined bi-planes and look where we are now!    

Where will we be with solar aeroplanes in 2100? 

[Kevin Wood]

I'm normally very anti "selfies" .. but this one is pretty spectacular !

Yay! look at me! Oh, shh..  <plop!>.

[Entwood]

I'm normally very anti "selfies" .. but this one is pretty spectacular !

Yay! look at me! Oh, shh..  <plop!>.

nah....  you should have said ...

oh shh ....................................................................... <very long pause from 10,000ft> ..........................  "plop!!"

 

[Kevin Wood]

I'm normally very anti "selfies" .. but this one is pretty spectacular !

Yay! look at me! Oh, shh..  <plop!>.

nah....  you should have said ...

oh shh ....................................................................... <very long pause from 10,000ft> ..........................  "plop!!"

 

Yes, the poor old GoPro would have have plenty of time to contemplate its' impending doom.