An unmanned solar-powered plane has set a new record by staying airborne continuously for more than two weeks.
The Zephyr landed safely after its British developers decided nothing would be proved by keeping it in the air any longer.
The plane comfortably beat the previous records for continuous flight without refuelling – nine days for a piloted aircraft, and 30 hours for an unmanned craft like the Zephyr.
The plane is powered during the day by paper-thin solar panels on its wings and at night by lightweight batteries re-charged each day.
The test flight was also a military trial of the plane’s payload, which included communications relay equipment which could be used on the battlefield in Afghanistan or in civilian applications.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/24/2963206.htm
At the same time, a manned solar powered aircraft “Impulse” successfully completed a 26 hour non-stop flight over the Jura Mountains west of the Swiss Alps.
“When you took off it was another era,” said Bertrand Piccard – the pilot & record-breaking balloonist. “You land in a new era where people understand that with renewable energy you can do impossible things.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/08/solar-impulse-24-hour-flight
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