With its slender shape and vast curved wing giving it the look of a futuristic aircraft, the Falcon Solar is a solar-powered aircraft concept that retains its share of mystery, if only for its propulsion system.
In aviation, it is customary to say that an aircraft with harmonious lines is an aircraft that flies well and precisely, the Falcon Solar presented by the Hungarian company Lasky Design is attractive. With its large wing, it looks like a futuristic aircraft or a bird of prey , and it runs on solar energy . While only a concept, artist views of the aircraft show a large wing devoid of moving parts and a fuselage with a slender tail free of vertical fin and empennage . The ” raptor wings” effect is accentuated by the shape of the nose of the aircraft and the curvature of the wings. Lasky Design does not hide its biomimetic inspirations .
If the look is futuristic, is this type of architecture possible? Using a flying wing gives more wing area to generate both good lift and consistent solar panel coverage . The curved shape at the ends bringing them closer to the winglets found on airliners could actually help reduce drag.
A credible concept?
According to its designer, the plane could fly one day and it would have all parts to become a performance champion. In any case, on the images, we do not see any moving element.
Will it be a question of exploiting the so-called ” warping ” technique, to twist the wings in order to tilt the plane to the left or to the right to turn? This is what already existed on the first planes which, too, were inspired by birds.
Likewise, it is not known how this aircraft will be propelled or how it is supposed to take off. It seems that there is no question for its designer to reveal the technologies that will animate the Falcon Solar.
All it reveals is that the aircraft may have an additional system to harvest electrical charges from the air and clouds . The company believes in it and intends to move from the concept on screen to a radio-controlled prototype with a wingspan of nearly 5 meters. According to him, his first test flights will directly serve to validate the performance of this model in terms of speed and range.
Image Source: Lasky Design