Unmanned aircraft
You can see more aircraft on the ginormous planes page, on the helicopters page, on the unmanned aircraft page, and on the experimental aircraft page.
Unmanned means that nobody is inside the aircraft. The aircraft is flown by either:
- a person on the ground using remote control, or
- the aircraft's computers which are told to follow a set journey by people on the ground.
An unmanned aircraft can also be called a drone.
Zephyr
The Zephyr runs exclusively on solar power. This means it turns the light from the sun into electricity. The electricity makes the propellers turn so it can fly. The top of the wings are covered with panels. These panels are what traps the light and turns it into electricity.
The drone uses its super-wide wings to glide on currents of air without the need for much power.
Its solar power and super-lightweight design has made the Zephyr a world beater. It holds the world record for the longest non-stop flight: 14 days. And among other electric drones it holds the record for reaching the highest altitude (about 65,000 feet or about 12 miles above the ground). The Zephyr can stay above a particular spot for months at a time.
The drone uses its super-wide wings to glide on currents of air without the need for much power.
Its solar power and super-lightweight design has made the Zephyr a world beater. It holds the world record for the longest non-stop flight: 14 days. And among other electric drones it holds the record for reaching the highest altitude (about 65,000 feet or about 12 miles above the ground). The Zephyr can stay above a particular spot for months at a time.
Altitude figures at 50s in video.
How many metres is 65,000 feet?
1 foot is just a bit more than 3 tenths of a metre. So it is a bit less than 1/3 of a metre.
What is 1/10 of 65,000?
Now you have 1/10, we must work out 3/10, and that is how many metres in 65,000 feet!
Now you have 1/10, we must work out 3/10, and that is how many metres in 65,000 feet!
Phantom Eye
It can fly for 4 days non-stop. It can fly higher than passenger and cargo planes. It was made to spy on things on the ground so it can be used for search and rescue.
The engine that turns the propellers uses liquid hydrogen. Hydrogen is a gas so the gas needs to be cooled until it turns into a liquid. It turns from a gas into a liquid at -250°C. This is even colder than the North Pole and the planet Mars!
The engine that turns the propellers uses liquid hydrogen. Hydrogen is a gas so the gas needs to be cooled until it turns into a liquid. It turns from a gas into a liquid at -250°C. This is even colder than the North Pole and the planet Mars!
Greased Lightning drone
It is an American tiltwing aircraft. Both sets of wings can tilt. It has ten electric engines on its wings. Four are on each front wing and one is on each rear wing.
This aircraft is still experimental. The inventors are testing the aircraft to see whether it flies how they want it to fly. When the tiltwings are pointed up it should fly straight up and down like a helicopter, and when the wings tilt forward it should fly like a plane. See more experimental aircraft on the experimental aircraft page.
This aircraft is still experimental. The inventors are testing the aircraft to see whether it flies how they want it to fly. When the tiltwings are pointed up it should fly straight up and down like a helicopter, and when the wings tilt forward it should fly like a plane. See more experimental aircraft on the experimental aircraft page.