A Solar Powered Plane

[ODDJOB UNO]

i certainly hope they thought about what happens when it becomes dark out(night) or worse dark and gloomy and cloudy and rainy for days.



hmmm seems batteries will sure as hell take up alot of payload space.

[carambola]

why carry batteries?

[scottmandue]

Pfft... this will past just like that whole horseless carriage fad.

Besides, if man were meant to fly he would have wings!

[gtc]

The project was started 30 years ago.... and not by NASA.

But don't let that get in the way of your bandwagon.

[RPKESQ]

This is an absolutely amazing project. I am used to the political BS, but it this case it is completely off base in every way. Tim, you are interested in aviation, this IS aviation.

The first electrically driven unassisted take off manned flight was in France last year. In a two seat aircraft no less.

This project is designed to be the first non-stop-round-the-world-solar-powered-manned flight. Imagine that.

All of aviation benefits from these efforts. From material science to structural engineering to advance power management.

The comments by some of you are as insightful and informed as toenail fungus.











Sorry about insulting toenail fungus.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

The comments by some of you are as insightful and informed as toenail fungus.

I was waiting for our resident thread schietter to find this one. Flame war has commenced.

[RPKESQ]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I was waiting for our resident thread schietter to find this one. Flame war has commenced.

Yeah, pointing out the inane stupidities of some of out more vocal posters is such a downer.

It is sooooooooooooooooooooooo much better to allow them to rant about shyte the have little to no knowledge of and even less ability to understand while attempting to pontificate like they actually know something.

Hell, that's what make America great, right?.

[Tim Hancock]

I know plenty about aviation Frenchy..... There are several small electric airplanes being designed/built.... Big deal... They are still relatively useless. I stand by my statements about batteries and photovoltaic energy.

[RPKESQ]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I know plenty about aviation Frenchy..... There are several small electric airplanes being designed/built.... Big deal... They are still relatively useless. I stand by my statements about batteries and photovoltaic energy.

They are the vanguard of new technologies and applications. And potentially a "big deal". Your opinion mirrors exactly those who commented negatively on all early aviation experiments and endeavors. Your aviation "knowledge" is limited by your inability to see past the present.

As well as those pundits who opinionated concerning spaceflight, rocketry, center-fire ammunition, telephones, super computers, PCs, etc.

Whose track record of being correct was better? The people actually pushing the envelope or the naysayers?

Just because you cannot see past the current limitations, does not mean others are also stuck in the past. And we all are the better for it. Even the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) sees this and supports it.

But Timmy boy cannot separate fact from political fiction and is locked into his "anti-green" rant because of his emotional political baggage.

[island911]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

The point is, if you have an idea and it doesn't immediately work profitably - forget it.
Good thing there were no message boards when Edison was working on the light bulb.

Clearly you don't know Edison. Edison understood that there are things we know, and things that we don't (didn't) know . . .such as how long a lemon peel will last in a vacuum with enough current to make it glow. ...Edison found out.

When it comes to engineering projects like this plane, it is nothing more than applying/repackaging what is known. ....from an engineering/ invention perspective, there is nothing of interest here. just some optimization of materials AND CONDITIONS to eek out the illusion of doing something real. This is NOT like dropping a rover on mars (where some information is gained). This is right up there with human powered flight. --no useful machine is the result. Rather, just a really tired pro cyclist who was able to take advantage of perfect conditions and a super fragile machine to say "it can be done." ...which, btw, is a far cry from saying that it should be done.

Although, I do see that it gives some Hope to the Prius driving idiots to dream of a solar powered flying car, in their future. ...if only someone would harness the power of unicorn farts, and build it.

Oh, and French-Fry; you sir are an emotional pot-stirring frog-wannabe.

[hardflex]

I'm Glad the world is not confined to your boxed in thinking Island. That the human spirit to achieve the difficult or impossible drives new achievements, whether or not they have a 'useful' purpose. Ask the cyclist who achieved human powered flight. I bet he doesn't say 'it can be done' but says 'I DID IT!'

Did you think the same thing about the plane that flew around the world nonstop a few years ago? a useless machine?

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by hardflex

Did you think the same thing about the plane that flew around the world nonstop a few years ago? a useless machine?

I call that personal achievement not advancing the world of aviation.

[hardflex]

You don't think Rutan used anything developed in the Voyager project in his other projects? Is he not a leader in the EAA still. Is he old news?

[island911]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I call that personal achievement not advancing the world of aviation.

Exactly!

My comments were with respect to Edison. His advancements (thru massive experimentation) were for the betterment of mankind - not some sort of ego "hey everybody Look, I'm a billionaire who made a bunch of attempts to fly around the world in a balloon, with my left hand tied behind my back, to make it fair"

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

This is an absolutely amazing project. .

uh huh . .. What's so absolutely amazing about this project?

Do shiny objects always absolutely amaze you?

. .. or is it all of those spinny things which absolutely amaze you?

Batteries?

. . .oh, I've got it; IT CAN FLY! (kind of) -- and all for just over a hundred million dollars.



Seriously, the thing takes off at 22mph? -- a stiff wind, a piece of rope, and a 1960's glider can get off the ground on it's own. The glider pilots around here go up over 30,000 feet using warm currents (a form of solar) and have done that type of accomplishment for decades.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by RPKESQ

They are the vanguard of new technologies and applications. And potentially a "big deal". Your opinion mirrors exactly those who commented negatively on all early aviation experiments and endeavors. Your aviation "knowledge" is limited by your inability to see past the present.

As well as those pundits who opinionated concerning spaceflight, rocketry, center-fire ammunition, telephones, super computers, PCs, etc.

Whose track record of being correct was better? The people actually pushing the envelope or the naysayers?

Just because you cannot see past the current limitations, does not mean others are also stuck in the past. And we all are the better for it. Even the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) sees this and supports it.

But Timmy boy cannot separate fact from political fiction and is locked into his "anti-green" rant because of his emotional political baggage.

Island wrapped this up nicely, but you obviously do not know crap about how I feel about experimental aircraft (I have built a couple from scratch). You also apparently do not understand why heavy batteries are not the most efficient means of powering an aircraft. You also apparently do not understand that PV solar costs a fortune to make for very little power output (all that sputtering of precious metals in a vaccuum and all that).

PV is nice for a remote hunting cabin, but those folks who think that they will someday inexpensively power all cars with them are nuts (as are the folks who think that all homeowners will someday be able to afford to blanket their roofs with PV cells without govt subsidies).

Batteries innovation/improvement is obviously a good thing, but I still see no value in cramming a bunch of them in modern aircraft other than as a personal achievement of the builder.

I wish this country would focus on building hundreds of nuclear power plants instead of pissing my tax money away on feel good non-viable forms of energy.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by hardflex

You don't think Rutan used anything developed in the Voyager project in his other projects? Is he not a leader in the EAA still. Is he old news?

Rutan is an innovative guy... Without Voyager, he would still be creating composite structures. But my issue is with the latest quest to use PV solar and battery powered aircraft.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

I wish this country would focus on building hundreds of nuclear power plants instead of pissing my tax money away on feel good non-viable forms of energy.

I'm guessing you're a huge fan of ethanol then.

[island911]

Originally Posted by hardflex

I'm Glad the world is not confined to your boxed in thinking Island. That the human spirit to achieve the difficult or impossible drives new achievements, whether or not they have a 'useful' purpose. ...

Yes yes, I get that this sort of thing entertains many people. ...gives them a warm feeling inside that they are not alone thinking outside the box (always fearful that the knowledge inside the box will poke a hole in their deluded view of reality)



(BEFORE thinking outside me)

The world of the Known is a bigger box than many give it credit for.

[hardflex]

I'll say it again. This project was done in Switzerland using European donors. No US Tax money was harmed in the making of this project.


Maybe they already have all the nuclear plants they need, and needed a diversion. :-)

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by island911

When it comes to engineering projects like this plane, it is nothing more than applying/repackaging what is known. ....from an engineering/ invention perspective, there is nothing of interest here. just some optimization of materials AND CONDITIONS to eek out the illusion of doing something real.

Just like a 911 is just a repackaging of a VW bug - the illusion of doing something real.