Stratellites: Replacements for Cell Towers

just barely feasible of you can get enough solar power into them to keep them hot and to make enough electric power to keep them on station in the high winds at 12-13 miles. These can be 200-300 miles per hour. No blimp can fly that fast.

The solution use in most places is disguised cell phone towers.

The radiation is not a problem, it is low and causes no problems, no matter what lawyers say...they are after $$$

Actually, at 1KW / sq m there would be plenty of luice available given the large surface area of a blimp, especially a high altitude one, even at 10% efficiency and including storage for overnight. Also, consider the air density at 13 mi, its WAY low. The average airliner flies at 600mph Only at 40K'. At sea level theyd only be able to do 300mph. Again given the reduced density at 13mi, a blimp might very well be able to pull it off. This not flight of fancy. engineers have been pondering this for years now. NASA even had a solar powered heavier than air craft that did 20mi altitude no sweat.

(Til it crashed into the pacific, not from high altitude. But hey, it was a proto. Given time to perfect this sort of thing, it could be robust.)

Well, here is the formula for drag, note that it is a square function, and a blimp is slightly streamlined, about .3 to .4. Airlines are very well streamlined, .03 to .04 +/-

Density drops as well, but so does propeller efficiency. A jet might work, if you make an electric jet

Fluid drag force = ° (drag coefficient) (fluid density) ( area) (fluid velocity)^2

So you may find it hard to keep on station. A plane like the NASA one may be more able to do it, using lift from an airfoil to replace the blimp lift. It is worth looking into, as you can make parabolic antennas that fit inside the fuselage(which is radio transparent) and steer to keep the cell area footprint where you want it. Even if it drifts you can adjust the patterns of others.?

Most airliners fly around 450mph not 600.

A lot depends on the leg length. Short hops mean they are into a descent before they reach their cruise speed. Airliners reach cruising speed and height gradually, to reduce fuel consumption. If you look at the climbout, you have them running at 100-110% of rated thrust for a short time. They would burn too much fuel if the stayed at even 100% thrust until they levelled off at 40,000 feet and then attained cruising speed. With recent high fuel prices they have tried to reach the most economical height speed for that particular point to point trip( Yes, they have lists of speed and altitude that are made for each flight, as the jet stream and other winds and weather warrant). In clear air with a standard load and no wind or jet stream, they would fly a different plan going from LA to London than if they wanted to fly 400 miles North out of LA to get a 250Knot tailwind along a great circle to London = saves a whole lot of fuel).

Over long hops they ususally head for somewhere above 600 MPH

a search will confirm this.

Here is a typical jet liner.

http://www.airbusa380.com/