Eric Raymond

Eric Raymond

Eric Raymond's career in flying began with hang gliding.In addition to numerous contest wins, he earned the title of World aerobatic champion in 1983 and 1984 consecutively.He designed and constructed the finest harness systems available at the time.His designs were widely copied and much of his original equipment is still in use today.He was invited to fly Gunther Rochelt's human powered Musculair 2 and with Rochelt's help he formulated the concept for the Sunseeker.The Sunseeker went on to break all previous records for solar powered aircraft.Raymond studied aeronautical engineering at University of California San Diego and also photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology, he has dozens of magazine covers to his credit.From 2003 - 2007 he worked with AeroVironment on classified projects building unmanned aircraft with advanced composite materials for the U.S. military.Eric holds a commercial, as well as an instructor rating in gliders.
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Eric has been a rated pilot since he was 14 and holds a commercial rating for glider operations as well as private ratings in powered land and sea planes.He is also an active competitor in IAC aerobatic contests flying a Pitts Biplane.

Eric Raymond's dream of solar powered flight began in 1979, when Larry Mauro demonstrated his solar powered ultralight glider, named Solar Riser.
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In 1986, Eric met Gunther Rochelt in Germany, and was introduced to his family of pedal and solar powered aircraft.
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Eric founded Solar Flight and began construction of his design in 1986, progress was slow until 1988, when support was found in Japan.

Eric Raymond

E-mail : eric@solar-flight.com

Eric Raymond will be flying it there in preparation for several publicity flights to be made later this year.At the World Air Games the Sunseeker will be on display in an effort to raise awareness of the potentials that available technologies offer to the advancement of general aviation.

2007, Ongoing - Solar Flight Moves to Europe

President and Founder of Solar Flight, Eric Raymond, is currently working with Bertrand Piccard's team in the construction of the Solar Impulse HB-SIA.

- Eric Raymond

Solar Flight is an ongoing effort by champion glider pilot Eric Raymond.
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Eric Raymond realized that with solar panels on the wings, more than ten times more power would be available.With encouragement from Klaus Savier and Gunther Rochelt, Eric developed his concept for a solar powered airplane.
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Eric wanted a faster aircraft, so he designed smaller, more efficient wings, and relied on batteries that would charge up from the solar panels to provide enough power for take off.Once up, the solar panels were intended to provide sufficient power for level flight.Between 1986 and 1990 he built a technology demonstrator, named the Sunseeker.During August 1990, he flew it from California to North Carolina in 21 days.

This "Off Road German Wheel" is a piece of acrobatic equipment, designed and built by Eric Raymond of Solar Flight Inc.The luminescent pneumatic tires were created specifically for the surface of the Black Rock Desert (for use at Burning Man 2004).

Enlighted installed the lighting - about 500 feet of EL wire, with double loops of 5 colors (pink, yellow, lime green, aqua, and purple) inside each wheel.The lights could be activated in two modes: a steady glow, or a 5-channel sequential animation.

We had first talked with Eric Raymond in early summer of 1996 about developing a composite spar.Eric has specialized in aircraft carbon structures development for ten years, most notably designing the Sunseeker, an ultralight solar-powered high performance sailplane.Eric piloted the Sunseeker in 1990 on the only transcontinental solar aircraft flight made to date.I called Eric in September of 1996 right after reading Jim Lee's trip report from the European championships.We cooperatively engineered the first configuration composite spar and Eric fabricated the first set of spars within two weeks.
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Rick (purchasing agent): "You know there's seven separate operations in (the part in question, and just one of fifty-seven new parts that had to be designed, tested and produced just for the Fusion), and it's going to take at least twelve weeks from final print to production parts.You got a final print yet?Me (design department): No, we still have a few more tests to run before I can release it.Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday:Rick: (same question)

The first 100 Fusions were built with rectangular cross section spars made by Erik Raymond of Solar Flight Research.

ERIC RAYMOND

Eric is a designer, builder, pilot, certified flight instructor, and founder of Solar Flight Corp.He developed the solar-powered aircraft SUNSEEKER and flew it across the U.S. in 1990.To this day, he still holds the world records for speed, distance and altitude in manned, solar-powered aircraft.Eric has a long history of competitive flying and record breaking flights in gliders, and is an aerial photographer with over 25 magazine covers to his credit.

Eric Raymond, Owens Valley pioneer, Sunseeker designer, and all-around pilot, is living in Switzerland and working as an engineer at SolarImpulse, which is developing 'around the world in a solar airplane'.When he's not working, Eric flies a Wills Wing U2 145.He recently sent us this note and some in-flight photos.