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Solar Plane Successfully Departs From Hawaii With No Fuel
NBC Bay Area ^ | 4/21 | Audrey McAvoy and Caleb Jones

Posted on 04/22/2016 1:15:45 AM PDT by nickcarraway

The plane was on course to land in Mountain View, California, in about three days

Two pilots are slowly carving their way into a new future of solar-powered flight as one embarks on the latest leg of their around-the-world journey in a plane powered only by the sun.

After some uncertainty about winds, the Solar Impulse team took off from Hawaii on Thursday, and hours later it was still ascending over the Pacific attempting to reach a high altitude before night sets in.

The Swiss-made Solar Impulse 2 was on course to land in Mountain View, California, in about three days. The crew that helped it take off was clearing out of its Hawaiian hangar and headed for the mainland for the weekend arrival.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcbayarea.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet; Travel
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1 posted on 04/22/2016 1:15:45 AM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

I hope they make it


2 posted on 04/22/2016 1:43:22 AM PDT by Fai Mao
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To: nickcarraway

> The crew that helped it take off was clearing out of its
> Hawaiian hangar and headed for the mainland for the weekend
> arrival.

Let me guess.

They took a commercial flight using thousands of pounds of “fossil” fuel to get to the mainland before their solar powered buddies.


3 posted on 04/22/2016 2:08:36 AM PDT by Westbrook (Children do not divide your love, they multiply it)
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To: nickcarraway

Best not fly too close to the sun.


4 posted on 04/22/2016 2:36:38 AM PDT by Joe Boucher (500 years ago we had Shakesphere, obammys people live in mud huts still. Go figure)
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To: nickcarraway

Hope they didn’t name the plane ‘Icarus’.


5 posted on 04/22/2016 3:05:12 AM PDT by Vinnie
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To: nickcarraway

Hope they have the super size Depends daipers on.
That will be one smelly cockpit when they land.


6 posted on 04/22/2016 3:18:43 AM PDT by CapnJack
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To: nickcarraway

That has some value commercially if they put that system of propulsion in a rigid airship.


7 posted on 04/22/2016 3:26:16 AM PDT by mosesdapoet (My best insights get lost in FR's becaus e of meaningless venting no one reads.)
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To: nickcarraway
"...carving their way into a new future of solar-powered flight..."

Yep, in the future, all aircraft will be solar powered. The problem is carrying only one passenger at a time for four or five days.

8 posted on 04/22/2016 3:30:32 AM PDT by Islander7 (There is no septic system so vile, so filthy, the left won't drink from to further their agenda)
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To: nickcarraway

Barking up the wrong tree. When coon hunting the dog’s ability is everything
Unfortunately we are the ones being treed by the climate push tingly leg agenda.


9 posted on 04/22/2016 4:03:48 AM PDT by Recompennation
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To: nickcarraway
Solar Plane Successfully Departs

The success of this flight won't be measured by its departure.

10 posted on 04/22/2016 4:06:10 AM PDT by johniegrad
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To: Fai Mao

Taking off is easy, it’s the landing that’s difficult.


11 posted on 04/22/2016 4:09:46 AM PDT by Lockbox
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To: Islander7

I think their potential value will be as atmospheric communications satellites.


12 posted on 04/22/2016 4:10:46 AM PDT by Moonman62 (Make America Great Again!)
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To: nickcarraway

To carry 200 passengers how big would they have to make one of those?


13 posted on 04/22/2016 4:53:43 AM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again,")
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To: nickcarraway

when the solar plane didn't take off.

14 posted on 04/22/2016 5:00:26 AM PDT by xp38
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To: nickcarraway

The neatest thing about solar planes is how high they can fly. One got up to about 100,000 feet.


15 posted on 04/22/2016 5:02:23 AM PDT by DungeonMaster (the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.)
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To: DungeonMaster

Well, it needs to be that high, because night.

When the sun sets it gets dark and the solar power is no more, and the only electricity they have is from batteries.

So it will consume the batteries until such time as the sun comes up. If they exhaust the batteries before that time they can avoid an early splash down by being high up to begin with.

Still, wonder how long this thing can glide at night? Higher altitude means less lift, no?


16 posted on 04/22/2016 5:09:32 AM PDT by Alas Babylon!
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To: Moonman62
I think their potential value will be as atmospheric communications satellites.

And reconnaissance drones. There are advantages to being able to stay on station for days.

17 posted on 04/22/2016 5:12:34 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: Alas Babylon!
Still, wonder how long this thing can glide at night? Higher altitude means less lift, no?

I tried some searches and it was surprisingly hard to find the information I wanted. Glide slope is the issue when there is no power and you are gradually losing altitude. So you have to aim the plane downward to prevent stalling and lose altitude at a calculated rate. This plane is surely mostly glider and has a very very shallow glide slope all of which has been carefully calculated given an expected altitude as solar energy goes away. I'm not a pilot and I'm sure some Freeper pilot will correct if needed.

18 posted on 04/22/2016 5:41:08 AM PDT by DungeonMaster (the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.)
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To: nickcarraway

And the point of this is?...


19 posted on 04/22/2016 5:48:51 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: DungeonMaster
Every aircraft has a forward speed that results in a maximum rate of climb. So I expect this enters into their speed calculation at night. However, they also have to make their batteries last until daylight returns, so they probably also pick a night time power setting that offsets both demands.

Just saying they run their motors at a rate that will minimize their sink rate for the time in darkness. Just a guess.

20 posted on 04/22/2016 5:54:01 AM PDT by Dustoff45 (Make a new Declaration of Dependence on our constitution.)
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