First zero-carbon Transatlantic flight?
The French Raphaël Dinelli is about to go down in history: he wants to make the first transatlantic flight with a device powered using only biofuels and solar energy. The plane, named Eraole, could be the first device to perform a zero carbon transatlantic flight!
After winning the Vendée Globe4 times, the pilot is now getting set to conquer the air. The plane, in development since 2009, has solar panels on its wings, which provide 25% of the necessary energy, while another 55% will come from biofuels. The remaining 20% of the time, he will use wind currents to conserve power.
The flight will not be very restful for Raphaël Dinelli as it is expected to last 60 hours, with 30% less oxygen than normal because of the altitude (10,000 feet) and a cockpit with little space. However, this does not seem to unduly worry the pilot who is well accustomed to the inconveniences of solo maritime adventures.
The flight, which is scheduled for take-off sometime in June 2016, obviously recalls the Solar Impulse initiative. However, the latter plane is powered only by the sun, which makes it much more dependent on the weather compared to the Eraole.
Watch this space for further updates as we follow Raphaël Dinelli on his history-making flight from the United States to France.