It was not so long ago that the first airplane was being designed and built by the Wright brothers and now we are trying to take this same invention and make it more eco-friendly. Currently, there is a team of Swiss adventurers preparing their solar-powered plane for its first international flight. The team says the flights will be a big challenge because the plane will need to navigate across international air traffic networks. The prototype is a single-seater with a wingspan of a Boeing 777. The maiden flight was in 2009 in Switzerland and further tests have taken place there since.I think this is a nice attempt but ultimately unrealistic. By making a plane solar-powered we decrease the amount of flight time immensely. If the plane is solar-powered then we can not fly at night, nor in inclement weather. While something should be done about the emissions given off by planes, I feel this is not the proper solution.
I think that it could be a big problem in the future. Yea they are trying to still do more research about this but honestly how do you think they are going to build a plane that can store power and create power to keep it up in the air. And another thing is what happens if you lose power is there a back up fuel powered engine or do you just crash
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Kirstie and Mackenzie, I think this concept seems very unrealistic at the moment. It would be great for planes to become more eco-friendly but this solution does not seem very likely to take off any time soon.
ReplyDeleteI think the solar planes seem like a very creative and great idea. It's nice to see that people are really trying to make the world a healthier place. I would be very nervous to get into one of the solar planes. Eco-friendly planes are a brilliant idea, but you can't succeed in anything unless you try new ideas, so good job! Hopefully one day, these things will be flying in the air.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kelly. This is a good idea, but it needs work. Perhaps it could run half and half, meaning that on a bright, sunny day the solar panels can kick in, but on darker days or at night, it could run off engines. Its a good idea, and the concept should definetly be played around with more.
ReplyDeleteI think that this technology could be very useful for UAVs, but not for passenger planes. If a unmanned vehicle crashes, big deal. And they could design it to be able to glide long distances if it loses fuel. I would not feel safe flying on one of these, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good idea, but I don't believe that it should be only solar powered. I don't know about others, but I wouldn't feel safe about flying in one of these. I'd rather walk to a different state that trust my life in something that could fly straight down. Although, I may trust it if there was some back-up fuel added to it, just in case or something.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kirstie. I believe this sin't the right solution to the emissons that are put out from planes. I mean come on, look at that plane! Does that look safe to you? I don't think so. It's a great idea, but this plane is not the right solution for it
ReplyDeleteI agree with Luke. With current technology, I just don't think it's realistic to have a passenger plane that runs entirely on solar energy.
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