Starting with a pre-dawn blessing by a native American chief in Phoenix, Arizona and ending with a press conference in Texas, which included a charming interview between Bertrand Piccard and a young Dallas boy who would have to wait until fall to tell his elementary school mates about his inspiring meeting, Solar Impulse achieved a potential world distance record for solar-powered aircraft.
Before takeoff, André Borschberg performed yoga meditations, which led next to an ecumenical moment before he climbed aboard Solar Impulse.
Native American Medicine Man, Delmar Boni, of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. blesses the airplane and pilots before the airplane’s departure from Phoenix, Arizona. Photocourtesy of Solar impulse | J. Revillard | Rezo.ch
The project’s blog noted, “What made today’s departure so unique was the presence of a Native American Medicine Man, Delmar Boni, of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Dressed in traditional clothing with a beautiful crown of feathers partially covering his face, Delmar circled around the pilots, thumb painted yellow, while chanting a pleasant tune.
“He blessed today’s pilot, André (Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse), and the wings that will carry him on his journey to Texas. He also blessed his partner and project co-founder, Bertrand. There was something very soothing and mystical about this ritual. The tone of Delmar’s voice and the comforting flow of words he murmured, although incomprehensible to our ears, couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than a powerful blessing.”
Solar Impulse makes pre-dawn takeoff from Phoenix. Photo courtesy Solar Impulse | J. Revillard : Rezo.ch
The blessing had its desired effect, a safe passage for the plane and its pilot. Meditation probably helped Borschberg deal with the vertical gusts that pushed the plane from its planned cruising altitude. As with most lightly-loaded aircraft, Borschberg could only let the air do what it would, do his best to keep the wings level and enjoy the high view – reaching 8,230 meters (27,000 feet) at its apogee.
Borschberg explained, “This leg was particularly challenging because of fairly strong winds at the landing. It also was the longest flight – in terms of distance – ever flown by a solar airplane. You have to understand that the pilot needs to stay awake for more than 20 hours without any autopilot.”
Solar Impulse touches down at DFW after the heavies have left for the day. Photo courtesy Solar Impulse | J. Revillard | Rezo.ch
The flight carried a thumb drive with the names of 14,000 supporters, and a “Clean Generation” flag which the pilots would present to Texas Authorities “on behalf of all our supporters.” They gave a similar banner to Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and have three more to present to civic leaders at each stop. Their Clean Generation initiative has the support of thousands of influential opinion leaders, including Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and filmmaker James Cameron.
Although the 1,541 kilometer (832 mile) flight totaled 18 hours, 21 minutes, with ground speeds reaching as high as 78 knots on one check by this editor, many of the last several hours were spent circling to the west of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), waiting for traffic to clear.
Solar Impulse officials will submit the record distance to the National Aeronautics Association before it is ultimately awarded by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
According to their blog, “Solar Impulse is organizing a number of events at Dallas-Fort Worth, including a public, open house. The Friday public event was welcomed with a great success, being sold out just a few hours after the opening. 1,200 people including four local schools will have the opportunity to visit the airplane. Because of this great success Solar Impulse and Dallas-Fort Worth teams worked to organize an additional open day which will take place on Saturday, May 25th from 11:00 AM to 05:00 PM. ” To register, people should use Eventbrite or visit the Solar Impulse web site.