11-02-2010

The man likes a challenge… and feels at home in the celestial world! Bertrand Piccard achieved in 1999 the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight carried by high altitude winds. Now, he owns an insane new project: to fly a plane several consecutive days powered by solar energy only. Other solar planes were developed but none could fly by night without the support of a fossil fuel powered motor. After six years dedicated to its design and construction, Solar Impulse took off for the first time in December 2009 from a small German airport. This “fuel-free aircraft”, named as such by its designers, has a giant wingspan (63 meters), comparable to that of an Airbus A340, which guarantees good aerodynamics and thus energy savings. Moreover, the sheer size of its wings allows a maximum number of solar panels to be mounted. Everything was studied to make the plane as light as possible to limit its energy bill: light composites, minimal size cockpit, photovoltaic cells as thin as possible… Lithium polymer batteries will store the energy generated by the photovoltaic cells during the day to power night flights. Solar Impulse’s ability to fly at night will be first demonstrated through a 36 hours mission. In 2011, a second plane with pressurized cabin will be built. The outcome, a round-the-world journey in 5 stages of 3 to 4 days each, including the crossing of the Atlantic, is scheduled for 2012.

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