The Solar Challenger was a
solar-powered aircraft designed by
Paul MacCready's
AeroVironment. The aircraft was designed as an improvement on the
Gossamer Penguin, which in turn was a solar-powered variant of the
human-powered Gossamer Albatross.
It was powered entirely by the
photovoltaic cells on its wing and stabilizer, without even reserve
batteries, and was the first such craft capable of long-distance flight.
In 1981, it successfully completed a 163-mile (262 km) demonstration flight from France to England.
History
The Solar Challenger was designed by a team led by Paul MacCready as a more airworthy improvement on the Gossamer Penguin, directly incorporating lessons learned from flight testing the earlier aircraft.
[Solar Challenger - Exclusive first hand report, of Paul MacCready's solar powered aircraft project](_blank)
Martyn Cowley, with drawings by Pat Lloyd. Aeromodeller, June 1981 As with the Gossamer Penguin, construction was sponsored by
DuPont
Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to:
People
* Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...
in exchange for publicity for the company's patented materials incorporated in the design.
AstroFlight, Inc. supplied the motors and solar panels, designed by Robert Boucher.
The plane's wings carried 16,128 solar cells yielding a maximum solar power of 3,800 watts.
It was flight tested in Western USA in winter 1980–1981.
On July 7, 1981, the aircraft flew 163 miles from
Pontoise – Cormeilles Aerodrome, north of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
to
Manston Royal Air Force Base in
Manston,
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, staying aloft 5 hours and 23 minutes, with pilot Stephen Ptacek at the controls.
Currently the plane is owned by the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
's
Air and Space Museum.
[.]
Design
The Solar Challenger was designed to be sturdier, more powerful, and more maneuverable than the Gossamer Penguin so as to be able to withstand sustained high-altitude flight and normal turbulence. It was over three times as heavy (without pilot) as the Gossamer Penguin and had a shorter wingspan, but was proportionately more powerful, with electricity supplied by 16,128 solar cells powering two three-horsepower motors. The solar panels were directly affixed to the wing and large
horizontal stabilizer, both of which had to be flat on top to accommodate them. The two motors, each 3 inches wide and 17 inches long and incorporating
samarium-cobalt permanent
magnets, operated in tandem on a common shaft to drive a single,
controllable-pitch propeller. The design incorporated advanced synthetic materials with very high
strength to weight ratios, including
Kevlar,
Nomex,
Delrin,
Teflon, and
Mylar
BoPET (biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical stability, dimensional stability, transparency reflectivity, an ...
, all supplied by the aircraft's sponsor, Dupont.
Specifications
See also
References
External links
Solar Challenger GalleryGallery of photographs of Solar Challenger by Don Monroe
UAS Advanced Development: Solar ChallengerAerovironment page on Solar Challenger (some info now out-of-date)
Video hosted by
San Diego Air & Space Museum
The San Diego Air & Space Museum (SDASM) is an aviation and space exploration museum in San Diego, California. It is located in Balboa Park (San Diego), Balboa Park and is housed in the former Ford Building (San Diego), Ford Building, which is li ...
{{AeroVironment aircraft
Solar-powered aircraft
1980s United States experimental aircraft
1981 in aviation
AeroVironment aircraft
Photovoltaics
Single-engined tractor aircraft
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1980