The Gossamer Penguin was a solar-power experimental aircraft created by Paul MacCready's AeroVironment.[1]
The Penguin was a three-quarters 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).[1] The powerplant was an AstroFlight Astro-40 electric motor, driven by a 541 watt solar panel consisting of 3920 solar cells.[1]
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).[1]
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.[1]
[edit] Specifications
[edit] See also
- Related development
[edit] References
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