Mauro Solar Riser
The Mauro Solar Riser is an American biplane ultralight electric aircraft that was the first manned aircraft to fly on solar power. It was also only the second solar-powered aircraft to fly, after the unmanned AstroFlight Sunrise, which had first flown 4 1/2 years earlier.
Design and development
The president of Ultralight Flying Machines, Larry Mauro, created the Solar Riser by converting a stock UFM Easy Riser hang glider to solar power. Normally foot-launched, the Solar Riser had wheeled landing gear added. Power is supplied by a Bosch electric starter motor of 3.5 hp (2.6 kW) connected to a 30 volt DC Nickel-cadmium battery pack taken from a Hughes 500 helicopter, powering a 41 in (104.1 cm) propeller through a reduction drive made from a timing belt and two pulleys. The battery is charged by a series of photovoltaic solar panels mounted in the top wing that provide 350 Watts of power. The solar cells are not sufficient to provide power in flight and all flights were made by recharging the battery on the ground from the solar cells and then flying using energy stored in the battery. A charge in bright sunshine for an hour and a half yields a flight of 3–5 minutes.
