Solar Impulse Night Flight Successful
The Solar Impulse, a Swiss solar-powered plane, has completed a 26-hour test flight through the night. The plane was piloted by the project’s co-founder and chief executive Andre Borschberg. He flew the aircraft to nearly 28,000 feet and then descended slowly to 4,500 feet through the night.
Borschberg said that he’s been a pilot for 40 years, and this was the most incredible flight of his career - just sitting there, watching the battery continue to gain more charge. He’s flown just over 26 hours without using any fuel and causing more pollution, he continued, adding that he could have flown longer but they made him go back.
The flight departed an airfield in Payerne, Switzerland just before 7am (local time) on Wednesday. It then landed at about 9am. During the flight, the 12,000 solar cells attached to the plane’s wings and horizontal stabilizers charged a battery, which was used to power 4 engines, and it can travel at up to 70km/hr. The aircraft has a wingspan of over 63 meters, is almost 22 meters in length and weighs about 1,600kg.
Bertrand Piccar is the Swiss adventurer that piloted the first nonstop balloon flight around the world. He is also the co-founder of the Solar Impulse Project, and he says that their goal was to develop a solar-powered plane that could fly day and night without the use of fuel. This test was a crucial part of the project to prove its credibility, he continued, and it was the first time that a manned solar plane has flown through the night. That was the moment their mission was proved successful, he added, and they made it.
Find Cheap Flights!