A solar plane could last all night
“Just add solar panels to the wings” is a popular suggestion for improving fixed-wing drone flight times. However, the reality is not that simple, and it's easy to hurt rather than help flight times with the added weight and complexity. The [Bearospace Industries] team has been working on the challenge for some time, and their Solar Dragon aircraft recently completed a very successful test flight, producing approximately 50% more power than he did not consume any.
Instead of simply trying to install solar panels on an existing aircraft, a cell should ideally be designed from the ground up as an exercise in balancing a series of factors. These include weight, efficiency, flight envelope, structural integrity, and maximum solar panel area. All considerations are discussed by [Bearospace] in an excellent in-depth video, which is an indispensable resource for anyone considering building a solar powered airplane.
Technology
Aug 7, 2022
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“Just add solar panels to the wings” is a popular suggestion for improving fixed-wing drone flight times. However, the reality is not that simple, and it's easy to hurt rather than help flight times with the added weight and complexity. The [Bearospace Industries] team has been working on the challenge for some time, and their Solar Dragon aircraft recently completed a very successful test flight, producing approximately 50% more power than he did not consume any.
Instead of simply trying to install solar panels on an existing aircraft, a cell should ideally be designed from the ground up as an exercise in balancing a series of factors. These include weight, efficiency, flight envelope, structural integrity, and maximum solar panel area. All considerations are discussed by [Bearospace] in an excellent in-depth video, which is an indispensable resource for anyone considering building a solar powered airplane.
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