Taking turns at the controls of Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) — the revolutionary zero-emission solar-powered airplane — pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have succeeded in their mission of achieving the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight. The four-engine plane can fly day and night without a drop of conventional fuel. … [continued]
Without a single drop of fuel, Solar Impulse 2—the experimental, sponsor-funded airplane wide as a Boeing 747 but only as heavy as an SUV—made history Thursday morning by completing its crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on solar energy alone. Pilot/adventurer/physician Bertrand Piccard flew in the spiritual tracks of Charles A. Lindbergh, the … [continued]
CleanTechnica’s last two articles about the zero-fuel Solar Impulse plane flying around the world described a visit to the plane’s temporary hangar in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania and interviews with the craft’s two Swiss pilot/adventurers, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. However, our continuing coverage dates back to 2009. (See … [continued]
I don’t think I’ll ever look up again when I hear a plane overhead. The finest flights, like a bird’s, are now soundless to me. The drone of internal combustion engines is no longer state of the art for aviation. By powering human flight, a new kind of energy has … [continued]
Originally published on 1Sun4All. BREAKING NEWS from Solar Impulse 2 (Si2): Irreversible Damage To Overheated Batteries In Si2 Pushes The Second Half Of Round-The-World Solar Flight To Early Spring 2016. Despite the hard work of the team to repair the batteries which overheated in the record-breaking oceanic flight from Nagoya to Hawaii, Si2 will stay in Hawaii until … [continued]
Originally published on 1Sun4All. In the latest news from Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), the team says that, despite having completed the longest and most difficult leg of the round-the-world solar flight — the record-breaking oceanic flight of 5 days and 5 nights (117 hours and 52 minutes) in a solar-powered airplane — the record-breaking aircraft of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg has suffered battery damages … [continued]
Originally published on 1Sun4All. You may already have seen the announcement that Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) arrived safely in Hawaii on Friday, July 3. Now you can read all the stats in the latest news from Solar Impulse: The longest and most difficult leg of the round-the-world solar flight attempted since last March … [continued]
Originally published on 1Sun4All. MORE BREAKING NEWS from Solar Impulse 2 (Si2): I feel exhilarated by this extraordinary journey. I have climbed the equivalent altitude of Mount Everest five times without much rest. The team at the Mission Control Center in Monaco (MCC) was my eyes and my ears. The MCC was battling to … [continued]
Originally published on 1Sun4All. BREAKING NEWS from Solar Impulse 2 (Si2): André Borschberg aboard the Solar Impulse 2 will touch down at Kalaeola Airport in Hawaii at approximately 6:00 am local time (16:00 UTC). Solar Impulse 2 is carrying the message of a clean future from Nagoya to Hawaii with #FutureIsClean. After breaking absolute distance and … [continued]
Originally published on 1Sun4All. BREAKING NEWS from Solar Impulse 2 (Si2): The airplane of Swiss explorers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg attempting the first round-the-world solar flight has broken all distance and duration world records for solar aviation (80 hours and 5,663 km / 3,519 miles). At the controls, André Borschberg has also broken the record for the longest solo flight … [continued]
