Zephyr Lands After Fourteen Plus Days Aloft | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sun, Jul 25, 2010

Zephyr Lands After Fourteen Plus Days Aloft

Solar Powered Aircraft Shattered Flight Records

The solar-powered Zephyr UAV has landed after more than 14 days of continuous flight powered by nothing more than sunlight.

Qinetiq, the UK-based company which built the UAV, said it had nothing more to prove by extending the flight any longer.

The Zephyr has shattered all endurance records for unmanned flight with it's 14+ days aloft. The plane was hand-launched at the Yuma proving grounds in Arizona on July 9th. It surpassed the previous record for an unmanned aerial vehicle after only 31 hours.

The Zephyr flew as high as 60,000 feet to give its solar panels maximum exposure to the sun. The panels not only powered the aircraft's engine, but also charged the on-board lithium-sulphur batteries which kept it aloft through the night.

"We are just really delighted with the performance," project manager Jon Saltmarsh told the BBC. He said the Zephyr is now no longer considered to be "experimental", and was ready to begin the operational phase of its life.

FMI: www.qinetiq.com

Advertisement

More News

KidVenture Educational Activities Lineup At EAA AirVenture 2025

Youth Explore With Hands-On Builds, RC Airplanes, Flight Sims, Much More KidVenture is located just north of the EAA Aviation Museum, at Pioneer Airport, and has arranged a myriad >[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.07.25)

“About nine decades ago, Amelia Earhart was recruited to Purdue, and the university president later worked with her to prepare an aircraft for her historic flight around the >[...]

Airborne 07.07.25: Sully v Bedford, RAF Vandalism, Discovery Moving?

Also: New Amelia Search, B737 Flap Falls Off, SUN ‘n FUN Unveiling, F-16 Record Captain Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who saved 155 people by safely landing an A320 in the Hu>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (07.08.25)

"It is critically important for North American flight safety that Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) violations are avoided. All pilots must familiarize themselves with updates to >[...]

Airborne-NextGen 07.08.25: Joby in Dubai, Army Electra, Archer iin Abu Dhabi

Also: Hackers v Aviation, Discovery Moving?, Gogo Galileo HDX, EVE to Costa Rica Joby Aviation announced its electric air taxi successfully completed a series of VTOL wingborne tri>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC