BBC - University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) have helped create a revolutionary new type of aircraft
23 Apr 2019
Researchers from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) have helped create a revolutionary new type of aircraft. Phoenix is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to stay in the air indefinitely using a new type of propulsion.
Despite being 15m (50ft) long with a mass of 120kg (19 stone) she rises gracefully into the air. She looks a little like an airship, except airships don't have wings.
"It's a proper aeroplane," says the UHI's Professor Andrew Rae.
As the project's chief engineer, he has overseen the integration of Phoenix's systems.
"It flies under its own propulsion although it has no engines," he says.
"The central fuselage is filled with helium, which makes it buoyant so it can ascend like a balloon.
"And inside that there's another bag with compressors on it that brings air from outside, compresses the air, which makes the aeroplane heavier and then it descends like a glider."
Launch satellites
This ability to "breathe" - to switch quickly between being heavier or lighter than air - doesn't just make the plane go up and down.
It is the key to driving it forward. Phoenix is the first large-scale aircraft to be powered by variable-buoyancy propulsion.
It moves through the air like a porpoise through water.
That means it can travel long distances and stay aloft for long periods.
The point? To create a cheaper alternative to launching satellites.
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