Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize

[Dr Mordrid]

The first Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize, for the best electric aircraft, best electric aircraft subsystems and components, will take place at the EAA AirVenture @ Oshkosh, WI later this month.

http://lindberghprize.org/

Should be interesting to see if Bertrand Piccard's Solar Impulse, the plane that recently flew 26 hours and 9 minutes purely on solar power, wins it.

As fast as this field is moving, example one being the warp-9 advances in thin-film solar cells, things look to get real interesting real fast.

[Brian Ellis]

IMO, Piccard's team should sweep the board for all categories, if it is entered. When he builds the full scale version (SolarImpulse is only a small model), you should have a stratospheric plane capable of flying indefinitely, above the weather. An unmanned version would have enormous miltary implications for observation, almost invisible to radar. Also for Google Maps!!! Could follow the anticyclones day in and day out for clear views!

[Dr Mordrid]

AKA a 'stratellite' - what you mentioned plus regional communications/TV/internet, crop evaluations etc.

Several groups are also developing airships for these uses, which ups the payload considerably.