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
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 …
Solar Impulse on First Leg of Epic Tour
Solar Impulse 2, under the control of André Borschberg, took off at 7:12 a. m. (03:12 UTC) Abu Dhabi time, on the first leg of its around-the-world voyage. The roughly 400 kilometers (215 nautical miles) between Abu Dhabi and Muscat, Oman – the airplane’s first stop – takes less than an hour by airliner and around five hours (according to Google Maps) by Maybach or lesser motor vehicle. It took André nine hours, one minute for this leg, traveling at ultralight speeds. His landing was tweeted as looking like a UFO descending, LED landing lights ablaze and advancing slowly overhead. In the control room, Bertrand Piccard and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco followed the flight with advice and encouragement. His Highness helps promote aviation ventures which show promise for cleaning the atmosphere, including record attempts by Jean-Luc Soullier in his electric aircraft. (NOTE: You might have to scroll the video to the beginning to see all the action, …
Solar Impulse 2 – The Bikes Chasing the Airplane
Solar Impulse 2, now preparing for its imminent attempt at an around-the-world voyage, has made three flights in Abu Dhabi, one maintenance test to check operation of the huge craft, and one training flight each for the adventure’s pilots, Andre’ Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard. In almost every video of HB-SIB’s takeoffs and landings, two or three cyclists can be seen chasing the Solar Impulse, causing one curious viewer to ask EV World what kind of bikes they are. Of course, they are electrically-enhanced, fitting the project, and Swiss, part of Solar Impulse’s national pride. The Stromer bicycle is an advanced machine, with a rear wheel-hub motor, removable battery pack, and connectivity through a smart phone interface. There is some conflict between the guesstimate of which model the Solar Impulse team uses by EV World’s editor, who is himself involved with electric bicycle sales, and the specifications set forth by Stromer. EV World’s editor shared the following. “I soon learned the …
Solar Impulse 2 in Readiness for Around-the-World Flight
Reassembled and ready, Solar Impulse 2 stands ready to leave Abu Dhabi on an historic around-the-world flight within the next month, according to the project’s latest announcements. When HB-SIB leaves Abu Dhabi, it will cross two oceans and four continents before returning to its departure point. The trip will include landings in 12 locations and a total distance of 35,000 kilometers (21,700 miles) – all without using a drop of fuel. Its route and schedule will be affected by weather, and since the airplane will fly at only 27 miles per hour at night to conserve battery energy, by prevailing winds. Normal flight speeds will range from 50 to 100 kilometers per hour (31 to 62 mph). The press release lists the landing sites: “Si2 will take-off from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, in late February or early March and return by late July or early August 2015. The route includes stops in Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and …
Solar Impulse Wrapping Up Flight Tests before Heading to Abu Dhabi
Solar Impulse 2, HB-SIB, flying now for several months, is being readied for a trip to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates and host city for Solar Impulse’s around-the-world flight. From there, early in 2015, it will embark on its around-the-world flight, alternately flown by Bertrand Piccard and Andre’ Borschberg. The program continues the drive and immense logistical planning evidenced by Solar Impulse 1’s across-America flight last year. “What better way to demonstrate the importance of the pioneering, innovatory spirit than by achieving ‘impossible’ things with renewable energy and highlighting new solutions for environmental problems?” This attitude will be necessary to overcome the challenges of five-day, cross-ocean flights each pilot will face, and to meet the meteorological conditions following the equator much of the way. The bigger, heavier SI2 will cross deserts, the Great Wall of China, and repeat its journey across America on its five-month circumnavigation of the globe. Beginning in March, 2015 from Abu Dhabi, …
Solar Impulse 2 Makes Premier Flight
Solar Impulse HB-SIB, the second aircraft from the program headed by Andre’ Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, took to the skies early this morning piloted by Markus Scherdel. Taking off from Payerne Airport at 3:38 Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) Solar Impulse 2 climbed to a randomly orbiting path within a 20-mile compass of the airfield to the southwest, Lake Neuchatel to the north, and Belleville to the northeast. At about 4:01 GMT, and about 5,300 feet, Scherdel reported a slight vibration and briefly leveled off until determining that it was probably an aerodynamic vibration – not a motor issue, but possibly from a hatch door. He continued climbing and performed a bank angle test of 5° at varying airspeeds and “a steady heading sideslip” to determine that controllability and stability were OK. At 4:47 GMT the team’s web site reported, “Flight Director is quite happy: no problem has been detected on the electrical and propulsion system, stability of airplane is good. …
Solar Impulse 2 Ready to Take on the World
Even while the first Solar Impulse was scaling the Alps, traversing the Moroccan desert, and crossing America, skilled craftsmen and women were designing and building Solar Impulse 2, a larger, heavier solar-powered airplane rolled out this week. Its next challenge, that of flying around the world, will test the limits of even this seasoned team. As shown on the first Solar Impulse’s flights, “Flying the Solar Impulse aircraft is quite different from being at the commands of any other airplane. Flight tactics, piloting skills, aerodynamics had to be re-learned from scratch.” Part of the difference comes from the aircraft’s huge size and light weight. Solar Impulse shares this: “Here’s a fun fact for you to understand how special this aircraft is: the wingspan of Si2 is bigger than that of a Boeing 747, but the former’s weight is just slightly more than 1% of the latter (remember: the weight of a car)!” This jumbo-jet sized craft has all the performance of …