Zephyr Solar Aircraft Two Week Flight
July 20, 2010
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![Zephyr Solar Aircraft Two Week Flight](https://cdn.xingosoftware.com/elektor/images/fetch/dpr_1,w_800,h_460,c_fit/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elektormagazine.com%2Fassets%2Fupload%2Fimages%2F0%2FZephyr-solar-plane-photo-000001.jpg)
Forget the Boieng Phantom Eye, the Zephyr takes unmanned solar aviation to the next level. The Zephyr is a super-lightweight, carbon-fiber craft, weighing only 50 kilograms, with a giant wingspan of 22.5 meters. The wings are covered in thin-film solar panels that charge its lithium-sulphur batteries, which power the engines when the sun goes down.
This unmanned beauty is breaking all records. It has already spent 7 days and nights in the air, twice the duration of the longest recorded unmanned flight, and it's aiming for a total of 14 days.
The craft has been flying above the Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, which is fitting because the potential applications for this type of solar-powered craft include military surveillance (as well as scientific roles like ecosystem observation).
![Zephyr-solar-plane-photo-000002](https://cdn.xingosoftware.com/elektor/images/fetch/dpr_1,w_468,h_311,c_fit/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elektormagazine.com%2Fassets%2Fupload%2Fimages%2F0%2FZephyr-solar-plane-photo-000002.jpg)
Via EcoGeek
This unmanned beauty is breaking all records. It has already spent 7 days and nights in the air, twice the duration of the longest recorded unmanned flight, and it's aiming for a total of 14 days.
The craft has been flying above the Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, which is fitting because the potential applications for this type of solar-powered craft include military surveillance (as well as scientific roles like ecosystem observation).
![Zephyr-solar-plane-photo-000002](https://cdn.xingosoftware.com/elektor/images/fetch/dpr_1,w_468,h_311,c_fit/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elektormagazine.com%2Fassets%2Fupload%2Fimages%2F0%2FZephyr-solar-plane-photo-000002.jpg)
Via EcoGeek
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