MacCready Gossamer Penguin
Gossamer Penguin | |
---|---|
Test flight of the Gossamer Penguin | |
Role | experimental aircraft |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | AeroVironment |
Designer | Paul MacCready |
First flight | 1979 |
Number built | 1 |
Developed from | Gossamer Albatross |
Developed into | Solar Challenger |
The Gossamer Penguin was a solar-powered experimental aircraft created by Paul MacCready's AeroVironment.[1]
The Penguin was a 3/4 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.[2]
Initial test flights were performed using a 28 cell NiCad battery pack instead of a panel. The test pilot for these flights was MacCready's 13-year-old son Marshall, who weighed 80 lb (36 kg).
The official pilot for the project was Janice Brown, a charter pilot with commercial, instrument, and glider ratings who weighed slightly less than 100 lb (45 kg). She flew the Penguin approximately 40 times before a 1.95 mi (3.14 km) public demonstration at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center on August 7, 1980.[3]
Specifications
Data from [1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Wingspan: 71 ft 0 in (21.64 m)
- Wing area: 297 sq ft (27.6 m2)
- Empty weight: 68 lb (30.8 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 28 x D type Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) cells
-
-
-
- or 3920 solar cells
-
-
- Powerplant: 1 × Astro-Flight Astro-40 double brush DC electric motor with 133:1 reduction
Performance
See also
- Related development
References
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External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons