{{Short description|Type of aircraft}} '''Solair I''' and '''Solair II''' are two German-designed electric aircraft. thumb|Solair I
==Solair 1== The human piloted Solair I was developed from 1980 by Günther Rochelt - developer of the Musculair human-powered aircraft series - based on a Hans Farner canard design.<ref name="Noth">{{cite web|url=http://www.asl.ethz.ch/research/asl/skysailor/History_of_Solar_Flight.pdf|title=History of Solar Flight|last=Noth|first=André|date=July 2008|work=Autonomous Systems Lab|publisher=Swiss Federal Institute of Technology|page=3|accessdate=8 July 2010|location=Zürich|quote=Günter Rochelt was the designer and builder of Solair I, a 16 m wingspan solar airplane ... 21st of August 1983 he flew in Solair I, mostly on solar energy and also thermals, during 5 hours 41 minutes.|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201032732/http://www.asl.ethz.ch/research/asl/skysailor/History_of_Solar_Flight.pdf|archivedate=1 February 2012}}</ref><ref name="Khammas">{{cite web|url=http://www.buch-der-synergie.de/c_neu_html/c_11_15_mobile_anwendungen_elektroflugzeuge_1.htm|title=Elektro- und Solarflugzeuge (1960 - 1996)|last=Khammas|first=Achmed A. W.|year=2007|work=Buch der Synergie|language=German|quote=exakt 2.499 Solarzellen ausgestattet, die eine Leistung von 2,2 kW|accessdate=8 July 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726163226/http://www.buch-der-synergie.de/c_neu_html/c_11_15_mobile_anwendungen_elektroflugzeuge_1.htm|archivedate=26 July 2010}}</ref> It employed 2499 wing-mounted solar cells giving an output of between 1.8 kilowatts (kW), equivalent to approximately 2.4 horsepower (hp), and {{convert|2.2|kW|hp|1|abbr=on}}. The aircraft first flew at Unterwössen, Germany on 21 August 1983.<ref name="Noth"/> It flew for 5 hours and 41 minutes, "mostly on solar energy and also thermals".<ref name="Noth"/> The aircraft is now displayed at the German Museum in Munich.<ref name="Khammas"/> The newly developed piloted Solair II made its first flight in May 1998 and further test flights that summer but the propulsion system overheated too fast.<ref name="Khammas"/> Development stopped when Günther Rochelt suddenly died in September 1998.
==Solair II== The Solair II project began in 1996, and aimed to develop a higher-powered successor aircraft. Modelled on glider construction, the aircraft has a V-tail tail, and fin headed on each propeller for propulsion. The aircraft was manufactured in half-shells sandwich construction with honeycomb cores. With charged batteries, it required an input of 755 W power for the straight flight. *Wingspan: 20.00 m, wing area: 17.00 m<sup>2</sup>, fuselage length: 6.12 m *Empty weight: 140 kg *Maximum take off weight (MTOW): 230 kg *Solar generator **Solar cells: 13,44 m<sup>2</sup> Mono-crystalline silicon cells **Max efficiency: 17.3% **Max power (radiation 500 W / m<sup>2</sup>): 1163 W *Drive **2 x permanent magnet DC motor with pusher propeller (1.46 m diameter) in the tail **Nominal voltage: 30 V each (motors in series connected) **Max power: 2 × 4500 W **Used 2 × 4 kW motors with 2-sheet folding propellers (2 m diameter) with pitch after a modification *Batteries **Battery type: 54 cells in series 2-4 of battery packs parallel, voltage: 65 V **Capacity: Max 4 × 5.2 AH 20.8 = Ah, storable energy: Max 1352 WH
==See also== *Musculair
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:Electric aircraft Category:Canard aircraft Category:High-wing aircraft Category:Single-engined pusher aircraft Category:Solar-powered aircraft Category:Aircraft first flown in 1983
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