Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the aircraft of the future- the Sunseeker II, an airplanes which uses solar power to fly around. As you an see from the pictures, the Sunseeker II features solar panels on very small wing areas, and it has an ultralight shape. This solar airplane was designed by Eric Raymond and it’s going to fly above Europe this late-Spring and in the early-Summer when the Sun will shine with more power. The Sunseeker II will fly in Freidrichshafen, Germany between April 2-5, and in Torino, Italy between June 6-14, but it’s also expected to fly in the Swiss Alps, Australian Dolomites, Slovenia, France, and even Spain.
The Sunseeker II was inspired by Gunther Rochelt’s Musculair MPA’s, and using Gunther’s concept, the designer developed his own hybrid aircraft that needed batteries to take off and increase altitude, but when maintaining level, the plane would run on solar power. Its battery pack is very small, and it would only take 90 minutes for a full recharge as the extra solar energy would go to the batteries. The designer says that he has never been forced to land before late-afternoon and that it’s very comfortable to fly with the canopy open thanks to its slow speed.
“The magic part begins when I near cloud base. With my batteries full, or nearly so, I switch on the motor, and climb up between the clouds, once on top, I can throttle back to fly on direct solar power in the clear, bright conditions over the clouds. Under direct solar power, the Sunseeker II is basically a one-speed airplane, flying about 18 m/s. When soaring conditions are present or if the batteries are used, faster speeds near 36 m/s are possible,” said Eric Raymond.
According to Mr. Raymond, the Sunseeker II is so quiet that birds are not scared of it, they come near it, and they even land on the solar powered airplane. Well, I would really like to see that and some pictures of the birds on the aircraft. Also, I would really enjoy to fly with the Sunseeker II and with its canopy open. That would be a once in a lifetime experience! Visit Solar Flight for more information and pictures!
He should throw a carbon fiber propeller on there and hook it up to a nice big pedal sproket for the combo deal.
So…
Of what practical use is this “device?” Is it a prototype of a plane that could be developed for actual transportation, or merely a toy for very rich guys?
Its like a glider, and no, its not a toy for rich guys. Flying gliders is a poor mans sport. Its usefulness as a glider/toy is immense – it can launch without need of a ground support crew, and can recover altitude if it gets too far away from its home landing field. Just like a petrolium powered motor glider.
This plane is retarded. It looks like a big air-hog toy you would buy from walmart.
This plane looks like a big toy you would buy from walmart. It has too long of wings and it is too skinny. It needs to have a fighter look to it.
The plane is built exactly the way it needs to be in order to fly. Check out the usual speed under solar power – 18 m/s (40 mph) is far too slow for even the smallest Cessna. If it had a “fighter look” to it, it would fly about as well as a brick.
That being said, I would love to fly something like that.
“Flying gliders is a poor mans sport” – yeah, in much the same way that kicking a boxer in the shin is a good way to keep all your teeth.
That aircraft could be very useful in search-and-rescue or GIS applications, particularly since it wouldn’t have to refuel like a helicopter.
What holds this plane up when it is at rest on the ground? In the pictures it looks like it has one wheel up front and some sort of a skid plate on the back tail ruder. It looks like it would tip over to one side or the other when at rest on the ground.
I’m amazed that people who have no knowledge at all of gliding – or perhaps aviation at all – will rush in to making stupid comments on a very interesting concept.
Very elegant!
Lets bungie jump off it naked with a bud in my left hand and a dildo in my right
Great achievements sometimes brings out the heartless self-simplified in the world. Solar powered flight has been one of the biggest challenges in aviation history. I’m very impressed with the design. Airplanes have largely been used for war and destruction – now at last there is one that explores the pure joy of flight.
Of what practical use is the plane? None – but of what practical use was the Wright Bros. plane? If you want to try something new & help develop technology which will be of practical use in he future, you have to start somewhere. Betcha the Wright Bros. never envisioned a 747 – all they were trying to do @ 1st is see if they could make their contraption fly @ all. Solar panels & battery technology have a LONG way to go, but again, you have to start somewhere & if you don’t try @ all, you’ll never learn anything!
This is the ultimate concept for gliding enthusiasts! Take off and climb to the nearest thermal or ridge, switch off the fan and climb to whatever altitude practicable. Get out from under the clodebase and start the fan again to climb in the clear to get on top. Search out wawes to get even higher – don your oxygen mask to experience true high altitude wawe flying. As for us medical misfits – an ultralight gliders certificate (Norway) may allow us to reexperience the true joys of flying!
Now – what’s the performance data on the ship, and when will it be on the market?
Where’s the propeller on this thing?
holy mary, in a decade or two we are gonna see tonnes of these things just flying around everywhere, because they dont cost anything to refuel …
Radar reflector? Camera carrier? Surveillance of border areas? Day and night with rechargeable light weight Lithium batteries, Bird population monitor, supreme! Pollution detector? Drug smuggler camera? Algae bloom tell-all? Smoke detector/ Forestry trends indicator? River flow monitor? Heat waste infrared camera? bee population monitor?Geo-Thermal formation finder? Desert patrol on the cheap? Highway traffic monitor? Farming field guardian? Alien detector, answers once and for all? Eye in the sky, night and day, for cheap, cant be beat! Please, give me exclusive sales rights today! I will reward you for certain!