Solar Impulse Passes Midway Islands

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

With the sun soon to rise in the Pacific, Solar Impulse 2 continues scooting at over 60 mph toward Honolulu as the third night comes to an end.  Significantly, Andre’ Borschberg and the 747-size plane have made it past the Midway Islands, once a stop-over for Pan-Am Boeing 314 “China Clippers.”  Even with their 3,500-mile range, those luxurious planes needed a fueling stop mid-way between Hawaii and China or Guam. The islands were important enough as a way station in the vast Pacific that one of the largest and most decisive battles of World War II took place near them.   In a battle terrible destructive to both sides, U. S. forces sank four Japanese carriers, essentially casting the fate of the remaining battles. The still-important role of the islands as emergency landing sites was reinforced in 2014 with the safe arrival of a Boeing 777 following “an odor” and failure of radar and other electronic systems. The idea of a …

A Second Night on Solar Impulse

Dean Sigler Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Pixar’s current film, Inside Out, depicts the emotions of an 11-year-old girl having her life disrupted by family circumstances.  Different voice actors depict Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness, emotions struggling for control within Headquarters (get it?).  Imagine your editor’s surprise to find that Solar Impulse’s Headquarters reports on its audience’s emotional state as part of the graphics which inform us about the flight’s progress – now in its second night over the North Pacific. Luckily, Andre’ Borschberg is a man of a well-disciplined character, with training in Yoga and self-hypnosis to help him benefit from the 20-minute rest periods that take the place of a normal night’s sleep.  But depending on events in the flight, those of us checking in (or glued to our screens) make our feelings known on Twitter, and our tweets give some algorithm at Solar Impulse the input to display eight different emotions on screen.  Along with those acted out in the Pixar film, we …

Solar Impulse Pulls a Fast One

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Confusion surrounded the takeoff of Solar Impulse 2 from Nagoya, Japan in Sunday’s early hours, with some news reports showing that the airplane had departed, but the project’s web site silent.  That was cleared up over nine hours into the flight, with revelations that Andre’ Borschberg and the control center in Monaco had spent hours resolving issues with the aircraft’s systems and determining that the flight would continue.  They did this without the press of the press adding to the tension. The team made crucial decisions regarding safety and system reliability and made the big choice to continue on the five day, five night voyage.  Weather conditions over the 8,340 kilometer (5,170 mile) course remain promising and motors, batteries and all systems seem to be operating flawlessly.  With sunrise within four hours of this writing, batteries should be able to sustain flight until Borschberg and the giant airplane meet the sun well out over the Pacific. We’ll continue with best wishes …

There’s an Airplane in There Somewhere

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Looking like an igloo condominium, Solar Impulse’s inflatable hangar was hastily shipped to Nagoya Airport in Japan to protect the large, but vulnerable, machine from weather damage.  Before the temporary hangar could be installed, though, high winds caused part of the structure holding a cover over the right wing to hit the aileron and cause minor damage. Solar Impulse reports, “In the early hours of Tuesday 2 June as we were in the process of offloading the material and beginning to prepare the mount the mobile hangar, there were wind gusts which led to damage to SIB, on a small part of the wing. We do not see this as being a major issue, but we do not have a full evaluation of the time necessary to repair. We hope that it will not exceed at least one week and will know more in the next days…” With HB-SIB sheltered safely for now planners scan the weather ahead for the final push to Hawaii.  This diversion prevents …

Solar Impulse: Bad News, Good News

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

The Solar Impulse team had bad news today.  “Unfortunately the current weather window to reach Hawaii has closed. The cold front is too dangerous to cross, so we have decided to land in Nagoya Airfield, also known as Komaki Airport, and wait for better weather conditions in order to continue.” The good news came with the safe landing following a record 40 hours in the air for Andre’ Borschberg, who had ample opportunity to practice the self-hypnosis and meditation skills that help keep him sharp.  That the full flight would have added at least 80 hours to the endeavor seems less daunting now, since the Solar Impulse team handled the diversion to Nagoya calmly and professionally, even obtaining the services of a bicycle rider to assist with one outrigger landing gear during the landing.  The unscheduled landing also means bringing the craft’s giant inflatable hangar on an unscheduled trip to Japan. This longest flight so far gave ample opportunity for the team to demonstrate the …

Solar Impulse Readied for Pacific Test

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation 1 Comment

With Andre’ Borschberg recuperating in Switzerland, Bertrand Piccard flew Solar Impulse 2 on the last leg of its China stay, making a 17 hour, 22 minute, 1,344 kilometer (725.7 nautical mile) flight between Chongquing and Nanjing.  The plane is being readied for its biggest leap so far, from Nanjing to Hawaii, a five-day mission that will test the endurance of the pilot and all systems of the giant ultralight aircraft. The Star, a Malaysian newspaper, reported what could be a growing concern.  “’Can we make the pilot sustainable as well?’ Andre Borschberg said by video link from Switzerland, where he is receiving treatment for health problems.”  He described his problems as “shingles,” with frequent migraines, both painful inflictions. “’This will be the human challenge when we tackle the next leg,’ he told an audience of reporters.”  Borschberg is scheduled to rejoin the airplane in Nanjing, where he and Piccard will plan the Pacific crossing.  This may be a greater issue …

The Facebook Air Force Faces Off with Google’s

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

On Monday, while waiting for Bertrand Piccard to land Solar Impulse 2 in Chongqing, China, Andre’ Borschberg tweeted, “Congratulations to Yael Maguire’s team on their first test flight with #Aquila, taking Mark’s vision to a new level.” “Mark” refers to Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook, and Aquila refers to a 737-size, solar-powered drone that will be capable of months-long flights, bringing Internet access to billions who lack connectivity today. According to the Christian Science Monitor, “At this week’s F8 developers conference, Facebook has highlighted exactly how far the company is looking to expand beyond its social-network roots. “On Thursday, the tech giant announced that it had completed the first test flights for its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones, in the United Kingdom.” The New York Times reports that the Aquila weighs as much as a small car and has a wingspan of 95 feet, slightly larger than a Boeing 737.  Developers say it can maintain flight at 60,000 to 90,000 feet for …

Solar Impulse Wins Over Junior High Students, English Tabloid

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Solar Impulse 2’s 20-hour flight from Mandalay, Myanmar to Chongqing, China included the slowest ground speeds in the massive solar airplane’s history. The Solar Impulse web site reported at 17:35 UTC on “Bertrand Piccard has finally landed Si2 in Chongqing, China, under the applauses of the solar teams and solar impulse fans around the world. The landing has been difficult as the pilot had to manoeuver the aircraft in a rather windy spot after a 20h30 long flight. The team in Monaco is honored to receive the visit of Prince Albert of Monaco at the Mission Control Center. “ Piccard reached 26,500 feet on his traversal of the Himalayas, certainly a cold and hazardous flight in the dark.  Earlier, he enjoyed an earth-friendly serving of taboulé, quinoa & spelt over Myranmar at 24,000 feet. According to MSN, “The flight has already set two records for solar-powered flight. The first was for the longest distance covered – the 1,468 kilometers from Muscat, Oman …

Solar Impulse in Mandalay for a Productive Week

Dean Sigler Electric Powerplants, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

After a 13-hour flight from Varanasi, India, to Mandalay (VYMD) in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Bertrand Piccard and Andre’ Borschberg have now had more press conferences than landings, giving a clue as to the real mission of Solar Impulse 2. Flights thus far have been fairly uneventful, which is a plus in any pilot’s logbook.  The two pilots seem to be busier when they touch down, first finding themselves surrounded by media, then attending a series of events in which they talk about their visions for a better, cleaner future.  In Myanmar, that includes sharing the benefits of the high technology of Solar Impulse’s solar collectors with a country that lacks electricity in 70 percent of its population.   Myanmar shows up as a dark spot in night-time satellite views of southern Asia. The Solar Impulse team works with Pact, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lot of the “poor and marginalized” by helping them “discover and …

Solar Impulse – More than Just Record Flights

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Solar Impulse 2, HB-SIB, is parked on the tarmac at Ahmedabad (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, AMD/VAAH), fresh from its record-making flight from Oman.  Crew members pore over its mechanical and electrical components in preparation for its next flight to Varanasi, also in the Republic of India.  In the meantime pilots Andre’ Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard share the message of their Future Is Clean organization and prepare themselves physically and spiritually for the voyage ahead. Apropos of their stopovers in India, Borschberg and Piccard have practiced Yoga as part of the physical discipline necessary for the grueling long-distance flights to come, and Borschberg is seen in one photo using a modern version of a traditional healing practice called Shirodhara, which involves pouring a steady stream of water or other liquids appropriate for the therapy.  The term comes from the Sanskrit words shiro (head) and dhara (flow), according to Wikipedia. This cleansing of the body and spirit coincides with the greater mission of the flight, to …