April 5, 2009 - Solar Flight's Sunseeker II Awarded Best of Show at AERO Friedrichshafen's First E-flight Expo
Eric Raymond received the award for 'most innovative project' at AERO Friedrichshafen's first semi-annual E-flight expo. The ‘show within a show’ is intended to showcase electric, ecological and evolutionary aircraft projects. Solar Flight and the Sunseeker II have begun the first ever Tour of Europe made by a solar-powered aircraft. Updates, images, and all information regarding the Tour can be followed at its dedicated site: solar-flight.com/europetour.
March 10, 2009 - Solar Flight to Launch Sunseeker II's European Tour at AERO Friedrichshafen
Solar Flight will take Sunseeker II on a flying tour around Europe following its featured presentation at the e-fight expo (April 2-5) in conjunction with AERO Friedrichshafen. The tour will be the longest journey for the Sunseeker since 1990 when its predecessor, Sunseeker I, crossed the United States in 21 fights. Sunseeker II is now ftted with more effcient solar cells, a more powerful motor, and new lithium polymer batteries, all of which contribute to the new airplane's higher performance and greater utility. The tour will cover 8 countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, France and Spain.
November 14, 2008 - The Sunseeker Shows Outstanding Performance even as Winter Looms in Switzerland
Performance expectations for solar powered vehicles drop off as the sun angle retreats during the winter months. The Sunseeker, however, is still flying fantastically despite a less-than-ideal November sun. Eric Raymond manages to fly the Sunseeker regularly. He snapped these photos on his most recent flight and reported from another impressive flight on Nov. 8th, "I managed to climb up over the clouds where it was very bright and cold, and then flew back and forth on the sunny side of a row of clouds that towered over me, bathing in the reflected light. It was blindingly bright; I left my sun glasses behind, thinking it would just be a typical dull grey day. I flew back and forth for a while on direct solar input, slowly climbing. I got just to the top of the highest clouds, then I turned off the motor to verify that there were no updrafts helping me climb."
September 29, 2008 - A Weekend of Flying at El Mirage Dry Lakebed
Solar Flight's Eric Raymond, Floyd Fronius and Eric Lentz-Gauthier along with good friend Mike Sandlin spent three days at the historic El Mirage dry lakebed flying Solar Flight's Edelweiss sailplane and Mike's beautiful low-tech glider dubbed the Pig. At less than 154 pounds the Edelweiss qualifies for the ultralight category of aircraft. With a VNE of 120 knots and wings tested beyond six g's it is a testament to Solar Flight’s capacity to design and build extremely light weight, high performance composite structures.
Raymond, Fronius and Lentz-Gauthier flew the Edelweiss - Eric Raymond logged the longest flight after he climbed above 10,000 feet shortly after releasing from tow. The Edelweiss is constructed primarily from carbon and Kevlar fibers using a honeycomb sandwich in the fuselage. It is equipped with full span flaperons that give a crisp and precise roll response. A sliding canopy, which can be opened in flight, gives the pilot a unique opportunity to fly in the open air and optional water ballast gives the Edelweiss a respectable cross country capability.
Mike Sandlin's Pig is his latest design in a series of aircraft that can be built from basic materials with basic tools. Mike had previously flown the glider several times by roll launching at his local hill - this was the first time the Pig had been towed. After he took the first flight, Mike was kind enough to let everyone fly the Pig. Many thanks! More information about Sandlin's projects can be found on his website.
August, 2008 - The Sunseeker Now Flying Routinely Over Switzerland
Eric Raymond is taking advantage of the opportunity to fly the Sunseeker on a regular basis; the Sunseeker has now made several flights from its new home field in Switzerland. Raymond reports, "Buttwil airport is situated on top of a ridge that is usually soarable. Taking off from the wet grass takes some power, but I usually can turn the motor off within a few minutes. Then I ride the updrafts until I reach the clouds. By then my batteries are fully recharged, so I switch the motor back on and climb up between the clouds. On top it is clear, cold and bright, perfect conditions for solar cells! At that point I can fly above the clouds for several hours on direct solar power, but I usualy glide down below the clouds to see who else is flying. Sailplanes, hang gliders, paragliders, balloons, as well as birds in abundance!" Already the fastest manned solar powered airplane ever built, the Sunseeker is now performing better than ever thanks to recent weight saving efforts. Two new lighter parachutes, one worn by the pilot and one that is attached to the airframe and deployed by a rocket, were built by Free Flight Enterprises and installed by Brian Johnson. The new parachutes make use of advanced materials such as Spectra and Kevlar, which give incredibly high performance with very low weight. Also slated for the updates will be the replacement of steel springs in the main landing gear with carbon fiber air shocks, a new radio and transponder to comply with European standards, and possibly a new motor controller that will be smaller and lighter making room for a high altitude oxygen system and also adding the capability of regenerative braking from the propeller.
August 6, 2008 - Eric Raymond Flies the Sunseeker in Europe for the First Time
After much anticipation the Sunseeker has taken to the Swiss skies. Wednesday evening, flying for the first time off of a grass runway, the Sunseeker with Eric Raymond in the cockpit motored quietly into the sky. Raymond made a quick 20 km loop and landed safely before the sun set. A small crowd of observers had their doubts layed to rest, for most, it was their first time seeing an electric airplane - not to mention a solar powered one! The Sunseeker is resting back in its hanger waiting to be flown again soon.
May, 2008 - Sunseeker is Moving to Europe in Preparation for FAI World Air Games 2009
For the FAI World Air Games 2009 to be held in Torino, Italy, the Sunseeker is being shipped to Europe. Eric Raymond will be flying it there in preparation for several publicity flights to be made later this year. At the World Air Games the Sunseeker will be on display in an effort to raise awareness of the potentials that available technologies offer to the advancement of general aviation.