Sun-Seeking Eternal Flight of Solar-Powered Airplane

AbstractA brand-new concept of solar-powered airplane is brought forward in this paper. The special characteristics of such airplanes are sun seeking and eternal flight, which can consistently fly under the local daytime. The foreseen applications of the airplane are first discussed. The possibility of sun-seeking eternal flight is then analyzed and a Λ wing configuration airplane is proposed considering the high flying latitude and low solar elevation angle. The principles of realizing sun-seeking eternal flight are subsequently discussed. A case study of sun-seeking eternal flight is finally presented, which reveals the flight envelop of the special solar-powered airplane. The result shows the solar-powered airplane can realize sun-seeking eternal flight between the latitude 65° and 76°. In sum, the sun-seeking eternal flight of a solar-powered airplane is believed to be wide utilization waiting for further research.