FLYING WING TESTED FOR SATELLITE-LIKE USES.

Advanced Materials & Composites News,  July, 2001  

Tags: aircraft, NASA, satellite

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The Helios UAV is a 1600-pound flying wing with a wingspan of more than 240 feet, built with carbon fiber composite spars and ribs, Styrofoam(r), mountain-bike tires, plastic film, and powered with solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity. The remotely piloted Helios is scheduled to attempt to take the aircraft to 100,000 feet, shattering altitude records for propeller-driven planes and setting the stage for developing a fleet of aircraft that can fly for months at altitudes of 80,000 feet or higher.

"We call it the eternal airplane," says Pete Jacobs, a ...

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