New solar plane is as big as a 747, will circumnavigate the globe (original) (raw)

Yesterday, the team that produced the first solar-powered aircraft that could fly around the clock unveiled its successor, Solar impulse 2, a craft that it hopes will be able to fly around the world. The airplane is a large collection of impressive feats of engineering: it's large enough to have a wingspan similar to a 747's, yet it weighs just a bit more than the average automobile (2,300 kg or 5,000 lb).

The Solar Impulse team is headed by Bertrand Piccard, the first man to take a balloon around the globe, and André Borschberg, an engineer and entrepreneur. The two were both on hand to introduce the new plane and discuss what's involved with their round-the-world flight, scheduled for next year. Large portions of the flight will be over land, which means that the aircraft can potentially land whenever it's convenient, allowing the two pilots to exchange roles and restock the cabin.

But the plane will also have to cross the Atlantic and Pacific, which will take an estimated five days, given that Solar Impulse 2's maximum speed is only 140 km/hour (about 85 mph), and it will spend a considerable amount of time flying more slowly.

The flight will require a carefully choreographed flight pattern. While under full power during the day, the plane will charge run its four 17.5 horsepower engines at full speed and gain altitude, charging batteries all the way. (It can store 165 kilowatt-hours in batteries that are tucked in behind the engines.) At night, the engines will run off batteries at a much slower speed, and Solar Impulse 2 will gradually glide down closer to sea level before restarting a climb the next day.