The Bell solar powered helicopter

[Palma]

Does anyone have any technical information on Bell's new solar powered helicopter. Nick Lappos - you appear to be the world's leading expert on everything technical, what do you think?

[Ian Corrigible]

Is it anything like the solar-powered Chinook (http://www.verticalmag.com/news/u-s-armyharnessesthesunputsgreeneraircraftintheskies)...? :E

[Self loading bear]

I understood in Turkey there are already 42 / 32 / 22 superb green helicopters which have flown into the sun?

Cheers SLB

[NickLappos]

Palma,
As the reigning expert on very little lately (finding my car keys is an achievement!) I can't pick up that mantle, but I can profess no knowledge of a Bell solar helo. In model scale, one has a chance, but the power demands our rotor makes are a real issue for solar storage or energy production.
I'd be really intrigued with any practical solar helicopter solution, frankly.

[Lonewolf_50]

I understood in Turkey there are already 42 / 32 / 22 superb green helicopters which have flown into the sun?

Cheers SLB The crews are all OK, they flew there at night. :8

[Ian Corrigible]

Don't know about Bell, but the UMD Gamera (http://www.agrc.umd.edu/gamera/) team responsible for flying the world's first human-powered helicopter in 2011 (http://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/452142-new-powerplant-helicopters.html) is now also claiming to have achieved the first flight of a manned solar-powered helicopter:

University of Maryland achieves first flight of a solar-powered, piloted helicopter (http://umdrightnow.umd.edu/news/university-maryland-achieves-first-flight-solar-powered-piloted-helicopter)

I/C