Solar Plane

Introduction: 
This instructable will show you how to create a solar powered plane. This project was done at Newman Smith HS in Carrollton, Texas and was sponsored by the Texas A&M Aerospace Engineering Department. We received most of the needed parts from Texas A&M and built the plane for the High School Solar Plane Competition on May 25, 2013. The project is not for the beginner as it gets a bit complicated. Skills that you will need include soldering skills, plane building skills, monokoting skills, and general R/C plane knowledge. Our team ended up with the Most Creative award and 2nd place in Endurance. 

Special Thanks to Texas A&M, NSHS Teachers & the DIY Drones Community (http://diydrones.com/forum/topics/solar-powered-plane).

Below are some pictures of the completed project. The next step will be the list of materials needed. 
Also included below is the link for build basics and aircraft aerodynamics- there are two PowerPoints included by Texas A&M.  If you are going to do the project, printing out these two PowerPoints will help you immensely. However, please take note that all the cells must be in series, not in parallel as one of the PowerPoint presentations describes. 
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_bYmGJ0v1Ncb283TF8tWXF6ZWc&usp=sharing

Want to see more photos? PM me and I'll give you a link. 

Materials Needed: 
Glider (we used the Gentle Lady) 
Monokote (We ended up using about 3 rolls- two for the 8 foot wing [bottom] & body of the plane and another clear roll for the panels)
3x6 Solar Panels
Tabbing Wire
Bus Wire
Normal Wire
Micro Servos 
Push Rods 
Nylon Control Horns 
Propeller 
Li-Po Battery
ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) 
Charger 
Connectors (for Wires) 
Receiver 
Propeller 
Electric Motor 
CA Glue 
Heat Shrink Tubing 
Sewing String 
Pairing Connector (depends on your transmitter/receiver) 
Nuts (for balancing wing) 
Balsa Wood Sheets (optional- depends on how big your wing is) 

Tools: 
Soldering Iron
Flux
Solder 
Hobby Knife and extra blades 
Heat Gun 
Sealing Iron 
Large Table 
Sand Paper 
Drill
Wire Cutter 
Digital Multi-Meter
First Aid Kit 

View the original article here