Design , Build & Fly a Solar Powered Aircraft

Development of manned and unmanned solar powered aircraft has attracted attention of several agencies over the past decade because of their promising potential in military and civilian applications. The most noteworthy examples are Dr. Paul MacCready’s Solar Challenger [1, 2], that covered the English Channel on July 7, 1981 on solar power alone, and NASA’s Helios [3], which currently established a new altitude record of 96,500 ft and is seen as a possible alternative to communication satellites. A student project to 'Design, Build and Fly' a fully solar powered miniature aircraft at the Department of Aerospace Engineering can be challenging and can inject an awareness of this alternate source of energy among the students.