Solar-powered flying wing 'breaks altitude record'

Nasa's solar-powered flying wing has soared past previous altitude records for non-rocket powered aircraft.

But Helios has failed to reach Nasa's goal of 100,000 feet during its test flight from Hawaii.

The remotely controlled Helios Prototype reached 81,100 feet five hours and 16 minutes after its launch from the Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Kauai.

Seventeen minutes later, the Helios reached 85,100 feet, surpassing the all-time record for a non-rocket craft.

"It's a real milestone of flight," said National Aeronautics and Space Administration spokesman Alan Brown. "It's a landmark achievement, and especially to do it with a solar aircraft that is non-polluting. It is a triumph of technology in this area."

Mr Brown said the record will be considered unofficial until it is certified by the National Aeronautics Association, the official record-keeping agency.

The altitude record for propeller-driven aircraft was 80,200 feet, set by a smaller version of the craft, Pathfinder Plus, in 1998. The record for a non-rocket craft was 85,068 feet, set by a Lockheed SR-71 jet-powered aircraft in 1976.

The Helios Prototype, driven by 14 propellers turned by small 2-horsepower electric motors, reached 96,500 feet before Nasa officials decided to bring it down, Brown said.

With thinning air and slanting sunlight, the remotely controlled Helios had reached a "zero climb rate," Brown said.

Nasa officials have said the Helios is capable of reaching 103,000 feet under ideal weather conditions, three times higher than commercial jet-powered aircraft.