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hunter

(38,321 posts)
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:04 PM Mar 2015

Solar plane journey's first leg ends

By Jonathan Amos
BBC Science Correspondent

A record-breaking attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered plane has completed its first leg.

The aircraft - called Solar Impulse-2 - took off from Abu Dhabi, heading east to Muscat in Oman.

With businessman and pilot Andre Borschbeg at the controls, the aircraft touched down in Oman at 16:14 GMT after a 12-hour flight.

Over the next five months, it will skip from continent to continent, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

...



http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31772140


Pushing the limits of solar, battery, motor control, and weather prediction technology to fly around the world is a fascinating goal.

It's not my idea of fun, I don't like heights or flying, and the plane looks fragile for rough weather, but it ought to make people think about the capabilities of solar-electric transportation.

I've seen some really nice electric bicycles and hybrid wind/solar sailing vessels.


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Solar plane journey's first leg ends (Original Post) hunter Mar 2015 OP
Awesome! NaturalHigh Mar 2015 #1
Sweet. Now I wonder where DU's fans of Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology are this morning. NYC_SKP Mar 2015 #2

NaturalHigh

(12,778 posts)
1. Awesome!
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:07 PM
Mar 2015

I've been dreaming of something like this pretty much me entire life, but I don't have the know-how to even begin to approach it.

 

NYC_SKP

(68,644 posts)
2. Sweet. Now I wonder where DU's fans of Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology are this morning.
Tue Mar 10, 2015, 08:59 AM
Mar 2015

To hear them describe H2 cars as far superior to battery electric vehicles, you'd think that this aircraft would go further than ever all on magical Hydrogen, the "clean fuel".



K/R for the solar journey!

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