Solar Flight

French pilot Raphael Dinelli will fly solo across the Atlantic using solar power and algal biofuel. Two Swiss pilots are circling the world on solar power alone.

In some ways, Erik Lindbergh may turn out to be as important to the evolution of aviation as his legendary grandfather, Charles. He's a supporter of battery-powered flight, solar-powered flight, space tourism, and ultra-light aircraft that can be parked in our driveways and powered by renewable energy. Lindbergh's advocacy has already yielded some incredible results. We caught up with Lindbergh in Toronto, where he was the

Sporting a 59 foot wingspan, the Qinetiq unmanned aerial vehicle is likely capable of setting a new world record for sustained unmanned flight. The previous record was set in 2001 by a jet-powered vehicle. The Qinetiq Zephyr, on the other hand, is powered by nothing but sunlight. The solar craft was able to stay airborne over the course of two nights using solar energy stored on-board during the day. The team in charge of the ve

I just ran across this very in-depth article that introduces us to a new team, the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, who hopes to rewrite the record books when it comes to solar aviation. They are doing so with a rather small airplane (compared to previous solar fliers) known as SunSailor.