Monday, June 1, 2015

Solar Impulse goes the distance – BBC

Flight of the “solar” Solar Impulse aircraft over the Pacific Ocean had to be interrupted because of bad weather. The establishment of another world record is being postponed.

Round the World flight of a unique solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2, which began in March this year, he entered the most difficult phase and is now rightfully can claim to be the most significant technological event in 2015. As expected, the most difficult for the members of the mission will be an unprecedented flight across the Pacific Ocean, and, as the events of this morning, the forces of nature initially try to prevent the pilot Andre Broshbergu accomplish what could not be done to anyone before.

His circumnavigation flight chetyrehdvigatelny single-seater Solar Impulse 2 wingspan exceeds the width of the Boeing 747 , launched in March, flying from Abu Dhabi to the east.

The first ‘shoulders’ record flight, in fact, there was nothing to record: the plane did not depart just a few hundred kilometers, so the shots through the Persian Gulf to Oman flight to India, Myanmar and then fly China attracted a lot of attention around the world only as the first steps in the world was round the world trip on solar-powered aircraft. Parking was the longest in the city of Nanjing in the east coast of China –

here it was supposed to start the longest and long section of the route – almost non-stop flight across the Pacific to Hawaii.

It is this area should be a real test of endurance and reliability of the aircraft pilot Andre Broshberga, because the whole flight longer than 8 thousand. km should take no less than six days and five nights –

longer and longer than the six previous “shoulders” together.

An important feature of the aircraft is its ability to fly at night, when electric motors, rotating propellers powered energy accumulated during the day, the lithium-ion batteries.

Even 20 years ago, the efficiency of the best solar panels and their weight are not allowed to think about how to create an aircraft capable of continuing the flight without fuel only by solar energy.

However, progress in the development of new solar cells and light, high-capacity batteries showed that “the sun” may not fly only during the day but at night, and there is a problem – as the pilot to control the plane for a long time?

«Do not sleep for six days? It looks like he’s on something sitting down. This driver also lithium-ion batteries? “- Wrote one of the users of the popular science website Arstechnica.

In fact, the pilot’s work schedule is constructed so that several times a day, he I had a 20-minute breaks for sleep. However, for each day of such “otklyuchek” accumulates only 3 hours and 20 minutes, so that by the end of the journey the pilot will still be physically exhausted. It is known that in order to maintain itself in the form Broshberg resorted to yoga classes – good cabin size of a phone booth allows it.

This is the price of the flight, which, if successful, will be the longest non-stop flight single-engine aircraft in aviation history.

The cruising speed of the aircraft is approximately 90 km / h during the day and about 60 – to more careful energy consumption – at night. Day Battery total area of ​​269.5 square meters. m fed motors and charge the battery 41 that night, give 13 kW engine power.

Day of the plane flies at an altitude of 9 km, at night down to 1 km, while at lower it plans sometimes do turn off the motor.

When you look at the map of the flight it is clear that to resume flights to Hawaii, the pilot will not be able to interrupt the flight somewhere to the east of Japan. One of the accident scenarios involves landing on Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, the second – the return to Japan or China. It is not excluded, and landing on the water.

In this case, the pilot will not decrease with the plane because of the danger of electrical shock, and must jump with a parachute and an inflatable boat.

For a long flight in the cockpit has the necessary supply of water, food, and tilt the chair can be used as a toilet (details not shown).

The flight across the Pacific Ocean is not specified at the outset. Month organizers of the expedition waited over the Pacific Ocean will be adjusted suitable weather – after a successful flight requires not only passing the prevailing winds and clear skies for sufficient recharge the batteries.

The first flight was postponed because of the weather, and on May 30, the plane finally took off and headed for the Hawaiian Islands.

But on Monday, 36 hours after the start, came reports of bad weather on the flight path and the need to make a stopover in Nagoya (Japan). The possibility of landing provided for in advance.

«weather window in the direction of Hawaii deteriorated. We decided to make a stopover in Nagoya, “- said the expedition twitter. “I am on the way to Nagoya, disappointed with the inability to continue the flight, but very grateful to the Japanese authorities for their support,” – he wrote in his twitter pilot Andre Broshberg. In Japan, the plane will stay a few days in anticipation of the good weather.


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