Not old car related - Solar Airplane flies tonight

[VeryTangled]

Hi Everyone, I know there's a fair amount of aviation enthusiasts among us. So I thought I'd pass along the news that SolarImpluse is scheduled to fly at 2am Eastern tomorrow morning (June 11th).

You can find their website pretty easily, where they will have all kinds of in-flight coverage including cameras streaming from the cockpit, and mission control in Monte Carlo. One of the things I thought was really cool when I followed their flight from Dayton to Lehigh Valley, they have a virtual cockpit online so you can watch the gauges just as if you were looking over the shoulder of the pilot!

It takes a very interesting flight profile. They launch and land after the sun is down to take advantage of the very calm winds at those times. (Similar to the Hot Air Balloons I used to fly.) After takeoff, they climb (used loosely) to about 23K using battery, they start charging after the sun rises and use that power for both the engines and charging.

At some point the batts get filled, flight continuing cross country at about 40mph airspeed. At one point, I think over a desert, they had about 115 ground speed, other times they can't make any headway at all. One of the things they're touting is that the plane 'fills its tanks' as they fly.

They get back down with something they're calling Mission Descent, which means it takes four or five hours to get to about 8K at about a 50fpm descent rate, where on the over-the-Atlantic leg, they will begin to use battery to get to the next morning.

This flight they plan to sight-see over New York and get pictures with the Statue of Liberty, etc. and LAND AT KENNEDY. Just the thought of that is a hoot because of the fun and games with the air traffic control system. Think bicycling around the brickyard while the Indy 500 is going on around you!

The longest flight they've done was 117 hours, I think. Japan to Hawaii. Upon arriving in HI, they confirmed they'd wounded the batteries on the first night's climbout from Japan. It took several months (6-8?) to put it back together so (wiping tear) some of the crew must have been stuck there in The Islands while.

One last thing... They're traveling with an interesting portable hangar made of fabric, and pressurized with air, like the advertising balloons and "wiggly man" things. The hangar is able to let light through, so the plane recharges while in the hangar on the ground. In Dayton, a section of the hangar started to deflate (problem with air system), and briefly laid on the wings. They figured no damage was done, but it did delay the Dayton-Lehigh Valley by a day.

[flat-v8]

Very Cool! Thx for posting the story!

[A bones]

It has been said NOTHING is impossible, yet for months that's all I've done.

Thank for sharing this. Solar energy is hot. I have an array of 34 panels (should have gone with an even 36) in my back yard.

[Lawrie]

My brother inlaw made two electric motor bikes ,one was to race in the zero race at the isle of mann but the rider got killed there,
the other is a sports bike ,I rode it ,very fast and quite ,will do 200kph and a good range,
Lawrie

[51 MERC-CT]

As interesting as the Solar Impulse project is the Sunseeker which has been around for a couple of years appears to be something that would be nice to have in your own hanger.

http://www.solar-flight.com/home/

[mhsprecher]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Very cool. Per the old saying, where there is a will, there is a way. Congratulations to all involved!

[SofaKing]

Weight and balance must be easy to calculate. Curious why the would go to 23K as they will need oxygen. Having gone through JFK the other day, I would not be amused to know that my flight departure or arrival is delayed so this toy can float about at 40 mph clogging the airspace. Maybe if it was a lawn-chair and balloons....

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by SofaKing

Weight and balance must be easy to calculate. Curious why the would go to 23K as they will need oxygen. Having gone through JFK the other day, I would not be amused to know that my flight departure or arrival is delayed so this toy can float about at 40 mph clogging the airspace. Maybe if it was a lawn-chair and balloons....

Or maybe a 'sofa' and balloons.

[VeryTangled]

Hi Again, I watching a video from this page, http://www.solarimpulse.com/leg-14-f...tue_of_liberty

Official, professional, photos here, Click Gallery http://www.solarimpulse.com/multimedia-leg-14

It's about 3.5 hrs, and I'm about :30 in. There was a bit with the flight director who filled in a lot of info. They will be at 3K altitude initially, but the city flight will be at 1500ft and 25kts (battery conservation?). Also it will stay over water the whole time and on the way to JFK.

Arrival at JFK as said earlier is no later than 4am (I haven't looked to see the actual landing time). Flight Director said these things were negotiated with the FAA, well, a real long time ago. See this is their second airplaine, SolarImpulse2. They had the first one in the US and had this flight on the schedule, but it didn't happen. That was 3 years ago.

Also for departure, JFK is good because they're immediately over the ocean again, can stay low for a few hours to get clear of the traffic, and then climb.

Right now the pilot, Andre Borschberg (trades off with Bertrand Piccard), is approaching NYC, in New York State from Pennsylvania, plane on autopilot, and he's running through a series of live interviews, currently a French radio station, but this is the fourth one he's done. You'd think it would be lunacy to distract the pilot like this, but the Ground Control is watching like hawks, and it serves the purpose to keep the pilot alert especially on long flights. The one from Dayton to Lehigh Valley was 17hrs.

Anyway, this is really fascinating to me.

[VeryTangled]

See the massive rudder in the first photo. The thing doesn't really bank when it turns. Just stomp the rudder and it skids around. Interesting.

Earlier from the Flight Director (in Monte Carlo) we learned there are three Asstants, two here in the US. One is with the air traffic guys, another one is in a helicopter, tailing him around at 6 o'clock, third back in Monaco. The flight director radios to the pilot when he wants the airplane to turn to stay on their flight profile (1500ft, 25kts, 1500ft clear of everything that isn't water). While flying loops around the harbor.

There are several boats out, obviously charters, like dinner-cruise stuff.

A comment about takeoff/departure. They don't even start the props spinning until they have clear for takeoff. When the engines started spinning, it seemed like about 30 seconds until it was airborne. It's really a lot like a glider.

Sorry for some of the photo quality, I'm taking screenshots from the 3.5 hr video. Almost over. They are on approach to JFK but it looks like this video runs out. Maybe there is another? Yes, another 80 minutes, that will take it all the way to the pilot getting out and doing photos, of course with a magnum, one of their sponsors makes wine.

[VeryTangled]

Hi Everyone, The airplane is on the last leg of their round-the-world adventure! Crossing Saudi Arabia and landing in Abu Dhabi. Sun is setting now, it's about 18:30 local time, and will fly through the night, another day, and land in the next evening or morning, I think.

Their website has some really cool stuff, like virtual cockpit, and energy status monitors! SolarImpulse

[J Witt]

They landed successfully at Abu Dhabi. Wonder how they will get it home.

A marvelous adventure and a long time and huge effort in the making.

[VeryTangled]

Hi Everyone, J Witt, I think it may be staying in Abu Dhabi for the short future? Seems Bertrand Piccard may have connections with that country, or they are being very helpful in his next project. One thing's for sure, it won't be heavy, where ever the plane ends up!

I hope they fly it again, but I doubt it because their Mission Control Center is disbanding, and it seems like a pilot would want them looking over their shoulder when using this beast, especially on a long duration flight.