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How about a battery that can glide by itself? You attach a big battery for the launch and once you are up you disconnect and it glides back to the airfield. Tha

How about a battery that can glide by itself? You attach a big battery for the launch and once you are up you disconnect and it glides back to the airfield. That should be possible today technically. Not sure how safety would work.

mannykannot 7y ago
What you are thinking of is not very different than an aerotow from an electric airplane.
- maxxxxx 7y ago
  I was just thinking about something autonomous. Basically a battery with wings. That way you don't need a plane with pilot.
  - namibj 7y ago
    Well, we already have autonomous electric planes. I don't see why your idea shouldn't work. For the near term, remote control of the battery might be easier/more feasible.
  - dalbasal 7y ago
    Parachute not enough?
    - maxxxxx 7y ago
      I don't think so. You cant steer a parachute well and you don't want some bypasser to get hit by a heavy battery on a parachute. The descent speed on a parachute is very high so it will hurt or more.
      - dalbasal 7y ago
        Parachutes can be steered.
  - cagenut 7y ago
    you might like rctestflight's youtube channel here he gets a battery powered drone with solar to gain altitude and charge the batteries during clear skies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS2iCj-HSqY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS2iCj-HSqY here he shows off a new feature in arduinopilot, autonomous thermaling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwAX3cPvMqw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwAX3cPvMqw also, check out the "Sunseeker Duo" https://www.solar-flight.com/sunseeker-duo/ https://www.solar-flight.com/sunseeker-duo/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvwqJpyahs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvwqJpyahs its only a matter of time before someone combines them
marvin 7y ago
Oh, electric self launch planes are both viable and available already. It's just a question of manufacturers making them with slightly higher battery capacity, which seems perfectly feasible based on a napkin calculation. Current self-launch electric gliders can climb to cruise altitude and still have >20km of endurance as a contingency for recovery. If that number was 100km with high reliability, it would almost qualify as a new type of aircraft. You could do cross-country flights that you'd never attempt in an unpowered glider, e.g. above big stretches of high, mountainous terrain. The Norwegian Hardanger plateau comes to mind as an example. Un-landable terrain, 1 km above sea level with a small window for unpowered navigation, national park and absolutely beautiful.

mannykannot 7y ago

What you are thinking of is not very different than an aerotow from an electric airplane.

maxxxxx 7y ago
I was just thinking about something autonomous. Basically a battery with wings. That way you don't need a plane with pilot.
- namibj 7y ago
  Well, we already have autonomous electric planes. I don't see why your idea shouldn't work. For the near term, remote control of the battery might be easier/more feasible.
- dalbasal 7y ago
  Parachute not enough?
  - maxxxxx 7y ago
    I don't think so. You cant steer a parachute well and you don't want some bypasser to get hit by a heavy battery on a parachute. The descent speed on a parachute is very high so it will hurt or more.
    - dalbasal 7y ago
      Parachutes can be steered.
- cagenut 7y ago
  you might like rctestflight's youtube channel here he gets a battery powered drone with solar to gain altitude and charge the batteries during clear skies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS2iCj-HSqY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS2iCj-HSqY here he shows off a new feature in arduinopilot, autonomous thermaling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwAX3cPvMqw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwAX3cPvMqw also, check out the "Sunseeker Duo" https://www.solar-flight.com/sunseeker-duo/ https://www.solar-flight.com/sunseeker-duo/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvwqJpyahs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zvwqJpyahs its only a matter of time before someone combines them

marvin 7y ago

Oh, electric self launch planes are both viable and available already. It's just a question of manufacturers making them with slightly higher battery capacity, which seems perfectly feasible based on a napkin calculation. Current self-launch electric gliders can climb to cruise altitude and still have >20km of endurance as a contingency for recovery. If that number was 100km with high reliability, it would almost qualify as a new type of aircraft. You could do cross-country flights that you'd never attempt in an unpowered glider, e.g. above big stretches of high, mountainous terrain. The Norwegian Hardanger plateau comes to mind as an example. Un-landable terrain, 1 km above sea level with a small window for unpowered navigation, national park and absolutely beautiful.