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Solar Powered Plane Completes Cross-Country Flight
An anonymous reader writes "The Solar Impulse, a solar powered aircraft, landed at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport completing its historic cross-country flight. From the article: 'The flight plan for the revolutionary plane, powered by some 11,000 solar cells on its oversized wings, had called for it to pass the Statue of Liberty before landing early Sunday at New York. But an unexpected tear discovered on the left wing of the aircraft Saturday afternoon forced officials to scuttle the fly-by and proceed directly to JFK for a landing three hours earlier than scheduled. Pilot Andre Borschberg trumpeted the milestone of a plane capable of flying during the day and night, powered by solar energy, crossing the U.S. without the use of fuel.'"
Pilot Andre Borschberg trumpeted the milestone of a plane capable of flying during the day and night, powered by solar energy, crossing the U.S. from West to East without the use of fuel.
Now let's see how they get back from NYC to SF without the use of fuel.
I don't mean to be a whiny spoilsport, but with all the congestion in the airspace around NYC, why did they pick JFK to land a slow-moving and delicate aircraft?
There are numerous airports at the periphery that are significantly less busy, like Stewart International or Islip/McArthur that could have been used for this event. The need to avoid wake turbulence and make sufficient room in the pattern to accommodate such an aircraft had to be a pain to manage.
Regardless, excellent achievement in a cool aircraft.
with no expense beyond the purchase price
As in, requiring no maintenance? Good luck waiting for *that* day in the aerospace industry.
Ezekiel 23:20
Or Google maps. Or a communications relay. Or a climate monitor. Or a weather monitor. etc.
The Wright Flyer wasn't all that practical either. No cargo, no passengers, one pilot, and less than 900 feet traveled.