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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSolar aircraft to be flown across the Pacific in world record bid - 5 continuous days and nights
For five days and nights, André Borschberg and his solar aircraft will battle exhaustion, discomfort and technological limitations as they cross the lonely 5,000 miles of ocean that swallowed Amelia Earhart 78 years ago.
Since beginning their circumnavigation of the world in Abu Dhabi in March, Borschberg and his flight partner Bertrand Piccard have been piloting the single-seater Solar Impulse II on alternating legs of up to 20 hour, breaking records for solar flight as they go. But Borschbergs flight from Nanjing in China to the islands of Hawaii will dwarf all their previous feats, and smash the previous endurance record for solo flight in any plane by around two days.
...
During the day, the pilots will climb to an altitude of 9,000m. But as the sun disappears, they will power down the propellors and glide. Using the motors sparingly the plane will drop to 1,000m below the clouds. As day breaks, they will have just 5-10% battery capacity and will have to find a clear patch of sky or risk plunging into the ocean.
...
Piloting the plane into clear skies will require constant attention, meaning the pilots will snatch sleep in 20-minute naps. Both will practice meditation and yoga (adapted to the cramped cockpit) in order to cope with the mental adversity. Borschberg said the external adventure would be mirrored by his own personal exploration.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/25/solar-aircraft-impulse-2-flown-pacific-world-record-bid
Since beginning their circumnavigation of the world in Abu Dhabi in March, Borschberg and his flight partner Bertrand Piccard have been piloting the single-seater Solar Impulse II on alternating legs of up to 20 hour, breaking records for solar flight as they go. But Borschbergs flight from Nanjing in China to the islands of Hawaii will dwarf all their previous feats, and smash the previous endurance record for solo flight in any plane by around two days.
...
During the day, the pilots will climb to an altitude of 9,000m. But as the sun disappears, they will power down the propellors and glide. Using the motors sparingly the plane will drop to 1,000m below the clouds. As day breaks, they will have just 5-10% battery capacity and will have to find a clear patch of sky or risk plunging into the ocean.
...
Piloting the plane into clear skies will require constant attention, meaning the pilots will snatch sleep in 20-minute naps. Both will practice meditation and yoga (adapted to the cramped cockpit) in order to cope with the mental adversity. Borschberg said the external adventure would be mirrored by his own personal exploration.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/25/solar-aircraft-impulse-2-flown-pacific-world-record-bid
And, as the BBC points out, if things go wrong, the pilot has to eject with a dinghy, to avoid the risk of electrocution with all that power around.
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Solar aircraft to be flown across the Pacific in world record bid - 5 continuous days and nights (Original Post)
muriel_volestrangler
May 2015
OP
Gothmog
(144,005 posts)1. This plane is really cool
hunter
(38,264 posts)2. This has been an amazing flight.
Crossing the Pacific in such a small craft, even a modern sailboat, is not a trivial task.
muriel_volestrangler
(101,159 posts)3. Solar Impulse 2 flight postponed due to weather risk
The planned flight of the sun powered plane, Solar Impulse 2, has been postponed.
The team in Nanjing, eastern China, say the weather forecasters have assessed that conditions are no longer good for the attempted flight to Hawaii.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32879601
The team in Nanjing, eastern China, say the weather forecasters have assessed that conditions are no longer good for the attempted flight to Hawaii.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32879601