Amazing - No Aviation Fuel Needed In Manchester in the Future

[lastlid]

"A solar-powered plane has landed in Morocco after flying from Spain, completing the second leg of its pioneering journey.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18330009

[Trefor]

Until it has to circle for an hour before coming into Heathrow ... under cloud ... gravity gets you down.

I'm all for this kind of thing, but realistically how much load (weight) will they be able to carry?

[lastlid]

Until it has to circle for an hour before coming into Heathrow ... under cloud ... gravity gets you down.

I'm all for this kind of thing, but realistically how much load (weight) will they be able to carry?

Thats a fair point. But maybe in the future our grandchildren might be able to fly non stop from London to Manila on a solar powered plane? :Erm: :D

[benjy]

i agree the technology will develop and lead onto something promising...:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[grahamw48]

Damn I knew I should have patented the one I made out of a roll of wallpaper and a tree branch when I was 11. :cwm3:

[lastlid]

Until it has to circle for an hour before coming into Heathrow ... under cloud ... gravity gets you down.

I'm all for this kind of thing, but realistically how much load (weight) will they be able to carry?

Any engineers about?
Look at the Hindenburg. That carried a fair few people and that was a balloon. :D

[lastlid]

“Solar Impulse has demonstrated that a solar-powered airplane can fly day and night using no fuel. The next challenge is to fly around the world,” the organisers said on their website solarimpulse.com.

http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/environment/solar-powered-plane-flies-into-record-books-1.1313686#.T9EA_NWJc3k

We used to think the world was flat....