www.solarimpulse.com
Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg make no secret of the fact that they were inspired by Verne’s visionary ideal when they conceived Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered aeroplane ever to fly through a complete day and night cycle.
Piccard, a psychiatrist and aeronaut who made the inaugural non-stop round-the- world balloon flight, and Borschberg, an engineer, graduate in management science and fighter pilot, unveiled their concept in 2003. Since then it has amassed a string of world records and earned admiration – not to mention amazement – in the sphere of aviation and beyond.
Many of those now in awe of Solar Impulse’s accomplishments once dismissed the idea as a fantasy. For Piccard and Borschberg this unimaginative defeatism – the very antithesis of Verne’s credo – was itself a significant motivation.
“If nobody doubted us then I’d think the goal wasn’t ambitious enough,” says Piccard. “It’s in part thanks to them that we started this project. The sceptics will be right until we succeed, so it’s up to us to prove them wrong.”
It hasn’t been easy. In the end it took £70m, a 70-strong team and seven years of studies, simulation, construction and tests – plus, since 2006, the backing of Deutsche Bank – to complete the first-ever solar day-and-night flight.
The prototype plane that realised the dream, known as HB-SIA, set new standards in aerodynamics, design, construction, propulsion and performance. The wingspan was built around a skeleton of carbon-fibre composite covered with 12,000 ultra-thin photovoltaic cells. A special combination of materials and engineering reduced weight while
“ It’s quiet up there – almost silent. I could hear a slight whistle from the four motors but nothing else from the plane itself.”
ensuring the necessary stability and durability.
The journey saw HB-SIA take to the skies for 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds, with Borschberg at the single-seater craft’s controls throughout. By descending slowly from 8,000m to 1,000m, the plane glided for five hours, consuming almost no energy, before Borschberg switched to battery-powered motors charged by the sun during daylight hours.
“It’s quiet up there – almost silent,” he says. “I could hear a slight whistle from the four motors but nothing else from the plane itself. I could easily hear other planes when they were close or even trains down on the ground. It was quite surprising.”
The historic feat was followed last year by an appearance at the Paris Air Show, where, as a remarkable demonstration of renewable energy’s potential, Solar Impulse outshone even the giant Airbus A380. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was moved to describe HB-SIA as “the wings of the future”.
This year HB-SIA flew between continents, with Piccard guiding the million-pound machine from Madrid to Rabat via the Strait of Gibraltar and the deserts of Morocco. It was, he suggests, a more serene experience than his round-the- world balloon trip.
“By the time we landed the balloon we had just 40 kilos of liquid propane left out of the 3.7 tonnes we started with,” he says. “If the jet streams had been less powerful our attempt would almost certainly have failed. That day I made a promise that I would fly around the world again – this time without fossil energy.”
That goal is scheduled for 2015. A second plane, HB-SIB, equipped with almost twice as many solar panels, is already under construction. Success, claim Piccard and Borschberg, would represent a pivotal demonstration of sustainable energy’s extraordinary potential.
“During the entire 20th century aviation was the undisputed symbol of progress, innovation and pioneer spirit,” says
30 | Informed — Winter 2012
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