The aircraft Solar Impulse 2 is an amazing machine. Its engines are driven by current, produced by the solar panels, but the aircraft designers have achieved something unique: the ability to remain in the air for more than a day. Sun-powered airplane fly well into the night and set off on a long journey around the world.
Wings higher than in Dreamlinerze
After a 12 hour flight to Muscat, the capital of Oman landed unusual aircraft. On the surface, this powerful machine – spread its wings reaches 72 meters . For comparison – flying in the colors of LOT Dreamlinery have wings with a span of 60 meters. Despite impressive wingspan, Solar Impulse 2 weighs just 2300 kg. How is this possible?
Everything stems from the fact that it looks like a giant glider Solar Impulse 2 is a solar powered . This is a result of the project, launched in 2003 in Switzerland by Bertrand Piccard, who decided to build an electric aircraft capable of long flights.
This breakneck task, because the cells that provide energy during the day, after nightfall are just unnecessary ballast . It is hard to imagine the enormity of the challenges faced by a team of engineers who have to build not only capable aircraft to fly on solar energy, but so light and aerodynamically perfect that night stay in the air exclusively on battery power.
The first machine of this type, the Solar Impulse, rose into the air in 2009, and a year later he was able to perform a flight, which lasted 26 hours, and a series of flights over Europe and Africa. Another milestone was the passage of the whole of the United States. In the meantime, work continued on the next, even more perfect machine – Solar Impulse 2, which is its first flight made in 2014 and just went on a flight around the world.
Travel around the world
A significant part of the weight of the aircraft are batteries (633 kg) and photovoltaic cells, wings covering an area of nearly 270 square meters, under which there are four engines power – per – 17.4 horsepower each.
The cabin is room for only one person . The remote control is not comfortable conditions – in order to reduce weight abandoned cabin pressure or air conditioning. It is for this autopilot and a set of instruments that allows the transfer of all flight parameters to the mission control center.
When divided into 12 stages of flight around the Earth Solar Impulse 2 beats about 35 thousand. kilometers flown to change by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg. This will not be a quick trip – speed of the aircraft is about 100 km / h , but the night was flying machine will be much slower – will remain in the air at a speed of only 50 km / h.
Air Revolution
Is Solar Impulse is a revolution in aviation? I do not agree on the issue of enthusiastic reviews, which I encountered in some services. I do not believe in such. A 20-year term, solar energy changed the way we travel in planes . Revolution because it concerns something completely different.
The likely success of Solar Impulse’a 2 will show that we already have the technology that allows you to create aircraft that can stay in the air almost indefinitely – limit is loaded daily life of batteries. So far, a similar role was played by different types of aerostats, such as airships, but their options were limited.
Electric Plane, capable of operating at night also offers great flexibility in telecommunications and widely understood surveillance . You can imagine the machines of this type, for example, constantly circulating. Wypatrującymi over the forests and fires. Or autonomous aircraft with infrared cameras, patrolling without interruption state borders. Or flying over the areas of natural disasters relay stations, ensuring constant communication over the disaster area.
Drones, which never runs out of energy
Possible applications of such machines is a dime a dozen. Moreover, the company has already formed, working on practical use of this technology. An example would be even, which was described in the pages Gadżetomanii Titan Aerospace, which intended to provide autonomous power planes, capable of a 5-year flight without landing . She had not, he was bought by Google, which has its own plans for the use of this technology.
To talk about the solar revolution in aviation does not need to passenger traffic was aircraft operated solar (although I think there will be attempts to use eg. to power on-board). Solar Impulse Lot 2 – if succeeds – will, however, a spectacular example of how much progress has been achieved in this field in recent years.
Overcoming the first stage was a success, and the Solar Impulse 2 launched just in Oman with the intention of defeating the next section of the route (to-date information on the mission, as well as livestream from the cockpit can be found at SolarImpulse.com page).
Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard
It is worth mentioning that some sections of the flight – flights over the oceans – will require pilot up to 5 days Standby . The workouts are designed to help the survival of relaxation techniques and a 20-minute nap, during which the aircraft will be led by the autopilot.
It remains to keep our fingers crossed for the success of the mission, and the visionaries and daredevils such as Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, deserves applause and words recognition – that people like them push the world forward .
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