A solar-powered airplane from Airbus has set the world record for longest sustained flight — just 3 minutes shy of 26 days. When fully developed, it is expect to remain airborne for months at a time.
Electric high-altitude flying is still something we haven’t written much about. How about 80,000 feet (24,400 kilometers) in the sky. That’s what the electric solar airplane Mission SolarStratos is all about?
Hawaii has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2045 — an ambitious goal given how dependent the islands are on supplies delivered by ships and airplanes.
Ehang and Airbus are pushing ahead with plans for autonomous electric aircraft they say will solve the problem of urban congestion. Is the world ready for this?
In addition to being the year of the Tesla Model 3, 2017 is turning out to be a major year for flying aircraft that are also electric and autonomous. Soaring cars, driving saucers, flying pontoons-bikes, and electric airplanes have broken into the news regularly. Another electric airplane contender from EViation is moving its product past regulations and certifications and hopes to be in active commercial service by 2021, with a prototype next year.
The SolarStratos Stratospheric Solar Airplane from Payerne, Switzerland, is an ambitious project taking to the stratosphere on nothing more than pure sunshine.
Originally published on Nexus Media. By Jeremy Deaton You would never leave for a trip without knowing how you would get to your destination. And yet, the global airline industry just did exactly that. Last week, 190 countries agreed to slash carbon pollution from international flights. While world leaders celebrated … [continued]
Taking turns at the controls of Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) — the revolutionary zero-emission solar-powered airplane — pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have succeeded in their mission of achieving the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight. The four-engine plane can fly day and night without a drop of conventional fuel. … [continued]
Without a single drop of fuel, Solar Impulse 2—the experimental, sponsor-funded airplane wide as a Boeing 747 but only as heavy as an SUV—made history Thursday morning by completing its crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on solar energy alone. Pilot/adventurer/physician Bertrand Piccard flew in the spiritual tracks of Charles A. Lindbergh, the … [continued]
Tonight’s the night for the zero-fuel Solar Impulse 2 aircraft and pilot/inventor Bertrand Piccard. They take off at 2:00 am EDT Tuesday (6:00 am UTC, 8:00 am CET) from JFK International Airport in New York to make history on the first transatlantic solar/electric flight — zero fuel and zero emissions. JFK … [continued]
