Solar Ship, Inc.

Solar Ship Inc. is a company based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada working to develop a hybrid aircraft to deliver critical cargo to cut-off places.[1][2] The solarship gains lift from both buoyant gas and aerodynamics, and uses power from solar panels. The aircraft is a new concept of transport that does not rely on fossil fuels or ground infrastructure.[3]

Solar Ship, Inc.
FoundedToronto, Canada (2006)
FounderJay Godsall
Headquarters
Toronto
,
Canada
Key people
  • Jay Godsall, CEO
  • John Hutchinson, CTO
  • Michel Rugema, COO
  • Sébastien Fournier, CIO
ProductsHybrid aircraft
OwnerJay Godsall
Websitesolarship.com

History

The concept behind Solar Ship was based on airships and the Canadian bush plane, and was devised by Jay Godsall in 1983. In 2006, Solar Ship Inc. was officially established.[4]

Aircraft

The solarship's wing-ship design allows for extreme short takeoff and landing (XSTOL or eSTOL), such as in a soccer field. Its design provides a large surface area for solar electric power, allowing long, self- sufficient range. Solarships can also be powered by traditional combustion when solar energy is unavailable. However, the goal is to develop a new mode of transportation that does not depend on fossil fuels, roads, or runways. The solarship can access areas where planes, trucks, ships, and airships cannot, delivering cargo to the places that are currently cut off from the benefits of the connected world. Each solar plane is designed and built to the requirements of a mission. Currently, there are three initial missions with specific requirements: the Wolverine, the Caracal, and the Nanuq. Solar Ship's active mission, as of December 2015, is Mission Burundi.[5]

Incidents

On August 29, 2014, a prototype aircraft owned, designed, and operated by Solar Ship crashed during a test flight in a tobacco field near Brantford Airport, seriously injuring its two pilots, Mark Taylor and Mark Marshall.[6] One of the pilots had to be cut out of the aircraft by rescuers.[7] The incident resulted in the temporary closure of Brantford Airport.[6]

  • Front view
    Front view
  • Side view
    Side view
  • Rear view
    Rear view

See also

References
  1. Kalan, Jonathan (January 13, 2013). "Solar ship aims to soar". BBC. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  2. Yarm, Mark (December 5, 2013). "Rescue Squad: Disaster Aid Gets Some New Rides". Wired. Retrieved May 9, 2014.
  3. "Solar Ship". www.solarship.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  4. "Solar Ship". www.solarship.com. Retrieved 2016-01-22.
  5. Solar Ship TV (2015-12-22), Episode 5: Mission Burundi, retrieved 2016-01-22
  6. "Experimental airship crash-lands near Brantford Airport". Retrieved 2016-04-20.
  7. "Experimental aircraft crashes near Brantford airport". Retrieved 2016-04-20.


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