*Nice keeping up with the green Swiss dragonfly.
PRESS RELEASE
SOLAR IMPULSE HAS LANDED IN PARIS
Paris, 15 June 2011 - After a flight lasting 16 hours 05 minutes, using no fuel, Solar Impulse HB-SIA landed safely at Paris-Le Bourget, where it will be on display as a “Special Guest” at the opening of the International Paris Air Show.
With André Borschberg at the controls, Solar Impulse took off Tuesday morning at 05h10 from Brussels Airport. This took the aircraft around Brussels, then South towards Maubeuge, Reins, Troyes and Avallon. The plane then finally headed back north towards Paris Le Bourget airport after a fairly long circling that was due to air traffic and meteorological conditions that were anticipated by the mission team.
Solar Impulse’s founders, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, are delighted that the aircraft was able to reach Paris in time for the start of the International Paris Air Show, whose «Special Guest» it will be from 20 to 26 June. Every afternoon from 14:30, visitors will be able to admire Solar Impulse on static display in its own temporary hangar, and - weather permitting - watch impressive silent flight displays by the solar-electric giant every morning.
« To stay airborne day and night without using any fuel implies making radical energy savings, and this is one way in which aviation can become less of an environmental burden» explains André Borschberg, co-founder and CEO.
« Throughout the 20th century, aviation was the undisputed symbol of progress, innovation and the pioneering spirit - the qualities that transformed our world », said Bertrand Piccard, founder and President of Solar Impulse : « And it should continue to play that role today, promoting optimism in society and a commitment to adopting solutions that will allow us to reduce our dependency on fossil energy. »
Thanks to the satellite communication system developed by Solar Impulse’s « National Telecom Partner », Swisscom, Flight Director Raymond Clerc and his team were able to support the pilot throughout the flight from the « Mission Control Center » in Payerne (CH).
FLIGHT REPORT
Brussels – Paris
Pilot:
André Borschberg, CEO and Co-founder
Take-off time :
14/06/2011 05:10
Time of landing :
14/06/2011 21:15
Flight duration :
16 hours 05 min
Average speed :
22,5 kts
Average altitude :
310’000 feet
Distance :
363,6 NM
Battery charge leftover :
95%
INFORMATION FOR THE PRESS DURING THE INTERNATIONAL PARIS AIR SHOW AT LE BOURGET:
• Viewing the airplane (Static stand n° G301) : Press viewings of the airplane will take place every day from Monday 20 to Thursday 23 June at 13 :30. Meet just in front of Solar Impulse’s portable hangar, static stand N° G301 (opposite the Solar Impulse Chalet, N° A394). Every viewing will be followed by a Q& A session with the Solar Impulse project’s founders, André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard. You can track any programming up-dates on the Air Show web-site at: https://www.gifas.asso.fr/fr/pages.php?tab=colloques_et_expositions⊂=1
• Interview : For individual interviews with André Borschberg and/or Bertrand Piccard during the Paris Air Show, contact the press department of Solar Impulse : Email: [email protected]
• In-flight displays : Displays in flight will take place every morning at 10h00 (subject to weather conditions). LIVE broadcast on www.solarimpulse.com and broadcast-quality pictures available the same day. Opportunities to observe pre-flight preparation of the airplane and pilot, as well as the flight itself, from the terrace of the Solar Impulse Chalet - only by prior arrangement. Contact the press department of Solar Impulse: [email protected]
PRESS RELEASES, HD PICTURES, B-ROLLS, FILMS AND BIOGRAPHIES CAN BE DOWNLOADED AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS:
http://press.solarimpulse.com/
User: solar-impulse
Password: solar-info06
For more information:
Solar Impulse
Alexandra Gindroz
Press Officer
Tel. +41 58 219 2440
Mobile: +41 79 688 45 55 or +41 79 415 82 84
Email: [email protected]
About Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse HB-SIA, the first aeroplane designed to fly day and night without requiring fuel and without producing carbon emissions, demonstrates the enormous potential held by new technologies in terms of energy savings and renewable energy production. Seven years of intensive work, calculations and tests by a team of 70 people and 80 partners have contributed to producing this revolutionary carbon fibre aeroplane, with a wingspan as wide as that of an Airbus A340 (63.4m) and a weight equivalent to that of an average family car. It is the largest aeroplane of its weight ever to have been built. The 12,000 solar cells integrated into the wing supply four electric motors (maximum power 10CV each) with renewable energy and charge the 400kg lithium polymer batteries during the day, enabling the aircraft to fly at night. The Solar Impulse project is supported, among others, by: Solvay, Omega, Deutsche Bank and Schindler as Principal Partners; Bayer MaterialScience and Altran as Official Partners; EPFL (Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology) as Official Scientific Consultant and Dassault-Aviation as Aviation Consultant.
