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Bertrand Piccard and Solar Impulse

Did you know?

Bertrand Piccard is a psychiatrist, balloonist, lecturer of international repute, President of the humanitarian foundation "Winds of Hope" and goodwill ambassador for the United Nations. Initiator of the Orbiter project, Piccard successfully completed the first non-stop the round-the-world balloon flight with Brian Jones in March 1999.
No solar airplane has ever managed to fly through a whole night with a pilot on board.
The average engine power provided by the Sun over a 24-hour period is practically the same (12 HP) as that available to the Wright brothers in 1903, when they made their historic first motorized flight.

What are we doing?

Solar Impulse has the goal to produce a plane propelled exclusively by solar energy, which will take off under its own power and fly night and day, and achieve a round-the-world flight without fuel or pollution.
Solar Impulse is a machine with a revolutionary design, disproportionately large for its weight: its wings are 80 metres long, similar to those of the Airbus A-380, in order to provide a large enough surface area for the photovoltaic cells and to reduce the induced drag. However, whilst the Airbus weighs 560 tonnes, the solar airplane will only weigh 2 tons.

What are the results?

In 2009-2010, a full size solar-powered plane will conduct long-haul, non-stop flights, preparing for a 2011 round-the-world flight.
The image of Solar Impulse is associated with key values, such as technological innovation and the promotion of renewable energies.
The project represents conclusive proof that it is possible for a plane to fly without pollution.
This, along with our efforts in other areas, is helping to limit our contribution to climate change.

For more information, please see http://www.solarimpulse.com/