Originally published on 1Sun4All. BREAKING NEWS from Solar Impulse 2 (Si2): The airplane of Swiss explorers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg attempting the first round-the-world solar flight has broken all distance and duration world records for solar aviation (80 hours and 5,663 km / 3,519 miles). At the controls, André Borschberg has also broken the record for the longest solo flight … [continued]
Originally published on Think Progress. By Ari Phillips. It’s hard to imagine modern life, let alone the modern economy, without aviation. Yet some airlines generate more greenhouse gases to fly the friendly skies than others. Demand for air travel has been rising as developing economies expand and incomes increase. This … [continued]
A British adventurer is going to use fuel made from plastic waste to power his 10,000-mile flight from Sydney, Australia to London, England. Former aerobatics and Flying Doctors pilot Jeremy Rowsell plans to make stops at Darwin, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka, Oman, Jordan, and Malta, before touching down in London, six … [continued]
Air Canada made its very first biofuel flight on Monday, heading from Toronto to Mexico City, in an effort to focus the spotlight on the industry’s commitment to greener transportation. The flight was made by an Airbus 319 using recycling cooking oil and jet fuel for the journey. According … [continued]
By all accounts, aviation is the most carbon-intensive form of transportation we use. But when you’ve got a million-pound aircraft, slipping the surly bonds of Earth isn’t an easy task . Engineers are constantly working to make aircraft more fuel efficient and more environmentally friendly, and several new technological innovations may finally make the future of flight a sustainable one.
We’ve covered the birth and growth of this completely solar-powered plane from Switzerland, the Solar Impulse, here on CleanTechnica. The most recent news is that the plane had made its first international flight. “After a flight lasting 12 hours 59 minutes, using no fuel and propelled by solar energy alone, Solar Impulse HB-SIA landed safely in Brussels” last Firday evening, the plane’s website announced.
It sounds like science fiction, but Christopher Ottersbach’s concept airship may one day become a reality. The aerodynamic ship seats 2 to 4 people and could potentially travel for two weeks filled with helium. No infrastructure is necessary. Additional thrust and steering is provided by the crew’s pedal-powered propulsion.
DailyTech reports that defense firm QinetQ has set the unofficial world record for the longest continuous unmanned flight with the Zephyr, a British-built spy plane. The Zephyr stayed in the air for 82 hours and 37 minutes, besting the previous record of 30 hours and 24 minutes held by Northrup … [continued]
