MacCready Gossamer Penguin

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Gossamer Penguin
Gossamer penguin.jpg
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

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