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Aviation History
1980
1980 - 2210.PDF
FLIGHT International, 16 August 1980 579 Solar-powered MacCready craft flies A SOLAR-POWERED aircraft, using "instant" electricity without batteries, flew for two miles at Edwards Air Force base in California on August 7. Janice Brown, a 951b school-teacher and glider pilot, flew the Gossamer Penguin—a development of Dr Paul MacCready's Gossamer Albatross, which made the first manpowered flight across the English Channel last year. Mrs Brown flew for 15min and at one point reached an estimated 16 m.p.h. The Penguin uses a bank of solar cells mounted in a platform above the centre section. Dr MacCready is currently working on Solar Challenger, which he hopes will be able to fly over 100 miles on sunpower. It will test his theory that the Sun's rays can be used as an alternative energy resource for long distance flights, even in turbulent air. The Challenger will be powered com pletely by the Sun, with neither batteries nor pedals, and MacCready talks of speeds up to 40 m.p.h. and altitudes between 200ft and 5,000ft. It will have a fairly conventional aero plane configuration with tractor pro peller, cockpit mounted below a parasol wing, and rear-mounted tail surfaces. On the wing and tail sections will be up to 30,000 miniature photo electric cells. Load factors could be up to +5g/—4g and advanced materials such as Mylar and Kevlar will be used, as in the Albatross. With parachute Janice Brown weighs 1051b, the empty aircraft will weigh 601b and the solar system an extra 501b, making a gross weight of 2151b for an aircraft with a 42ft wing- span and 32ft length. When the Sun is obscured, the Challenger should have an adequate glide performance. The old and new are seen in these pictures of aircraft at last week's 28th annual Experimental Aircraft Association convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin Above The Great Lakes classic biplane is back in production with a 180 h.p. Lycoming. Below New from Canada's Zenair is the CH-IS0 Aero-Zenith, homebuilt design, fully acrobatic with 150-180 h.p. engines and available in kit form. An on-the-spot report follows in an early issue MP* & i'tr-.. "%l; •••*.. JE"
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