Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by commandar 4335 days ago
A fixed wing can also generally run its single motor at lower power most of the time, which contributes as well.
1 comments

Perhaps incorporate solar panels to the wings?
People have looked at it, but I think the general consensus is that there's not enough surface area on the airframe to generate enough electricity to make a significant impact.

Depending on the exact motor+prop setup, peak draw of between 200-400W is pretty common for fixed wings in the 1.5-2M wingspan range, and cruise is often around half of that.