List of Different Types of Airplanes in the World
Gossamer Penguin - airplanes
Gossamer Penguin
The Gossamer Penguin was a solar-power experimental aircraft created by Paul MacCready's AeroVironment. The Penguin was a three-quarters scale version of the Gossamer Albatross II and had a 71 ft.(21.64 meter) wingspan and a weight without pilot of 68 lb (31 kg). The powerplant was an AstroFlight Astro-40 electric motor driven by a 541 watt solar panel consisting of 3920 solar cells. Initial test flights were performed using a 28 cell NiCad battery pack instead of a panel.
pounds - the Gossamer Penguin became the first plane to carry a pilot
aloft solely on the power of sunlight.1
The Gossamer Penguin, a smaller version of the human powered Gossamer
Albatross was completely solar powered.2
the Albatross was the solar-powered Gossamer Penguin in 1980.3
the Gossamer Penguin and Solar Challenger vehicles in the late 1970s
and early 1980s, following the pioneering work of Robert Boucher, who
built the first solar-powered flying models in 1974.4
Gossamer Penguin in flight
... took the human-powered Gossamer Albatross II and scaled it down to
three ... Gossamer Penguin.5
Gossamer Penguin, which had made the the public demonstration of
1.95 miles.6
The Gossamer Penguin for
one. Most notably the Sunseeker. There are more but a simple search on
Google will yield you quite a few.7
the Gossamer Penguin flew short demonstration flights with one pilot
on board.8
Made by AeroVironment.
It is the successor of the Gossamer Albatross .
In 1980, the Gossamer Penguin became first in a long series of
purely-solar-panel-powered airplanes to carry a human being.9
The Gossamer Penguin was the first aircraft to fly on purely solar
power, using the same cells from the original Sunrise and Sunrise II
models.10
A follow-up to the Albatross was the solar-powered Gossamer Penguin in
1980.
External links
-
* NASA's page on Gossamer Albatross II (http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/gallery/photo/Albatross/HTML/ECN-12604.11
Gossamer Penguin on its first solar powered flight.
8 August
The death of Jacqueline Cochran is announced.12
The Gossamer Penguin flew in
1980.13
A follow-up to the Albatross was the solar-powered Gossamer Penguin in
1980.14
Gossamer Penguin became first in a long series of purely-solar-panel-powered
airplanes to carry a human being.15
led by Paul MacCready developed the Gossamer Penguin that crossed the
English Channel in 1981.16
Developed From
Gossamer Albatross
Designer
Paul MacCready
Predecessor
Gossamer Albatross
Number Built
1
Manufacturer
Developed Into
Solar Challenger
Related
* Gossamer Albatross* Solar Challenger
First Flight
1979
Origin
United States
National Origin
United States
Category