*I enjoy watching this thing and its persistent career, since guys who sell aviation fuel are keen to have us think that planes like this are impossible.
*If solar-powered aircraft were as cheap as houseboats, then hippies could become grizzled, planet-rambling, down-market, back-packer "air bums" with no environmental impact. This may or may not be an attractive future prospect.
FRANÇAIS
DEUTSCH
PRESS RELEASE
FINAL LEG OF THE FIRST EVER SOLAR-POWERED INTERCONTINENTAL FLIGHT: SOLAR IMPULSE RETURNS HOME TO SWITZERLAND AFTER 6'000 KM
Toulouse, 23 July 2012 – After accomplishing the mission of connecting Africa to Europe, the solar airplane of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will take-off tomorrow, 24 July 2012 at 07:00 AM (UTC+2) to complete the world’s first roundtrip intercontinental flight without a drop of fuel. The prototype is expected to land at its home base in Payerne (Switzerland) 24 July around 08:00 PM (UTC+2).
Piloted by Bertrand Piccard, the prototype will take-off for the final leg of this mission flight tomorrow 24 July 2012 from Toulouse-Francazal airport at 07:00 AM (UTC+2). It will fly south of Toulouse and over the Massif Central. It will then go west of Lyon towards Roanne and Mâcon finally approaching the Franco-Swiss border in the area of Pontarlier somewhere around 05:00PM (UTC+2). Once HB-SIA crosses the border into Switzerland, it will cross the Jura and hold until the thermals calm down allowing a final approach into Payerne airfield. The aircraft will fly at 3’600 meters most of the flight. The landing is planned to occur after 08:00PM (UTC+2) where the public will have the occasion to watch the landing from a hillock at the airfield.
Solar Impulse has launched a photo contest open to all those located on the HB-SIA’s route. The best in-flight and landing photos will be selected by the founders and pilots, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. The photos will need to be uploaded on the Solar Impulse website in order to be one of the two winners.
The flight can be followed LIVE on solarimpulse.com. A LiveStream video will be running throughout the flight with images and sound of the pilot in action, take-off, landing and interaction with the Mission Control Center. Everybody can follow the adventure and media will have the opportunity to interview the pilot live from the cockpit.
As soon as HB-SIA touches down on the Payerne runway it will have completed, since 24 May 2012, 6000km, in 8 legs in average 800km and will have landed in 4 countries and 2 continents. Initially designed only to prove its aptitude to fly day and night it has gone beyond its mandate further proving the reliability of its technology and the efficiency of its energy consumption. The flights have also provided the Solar Impulse team with a dress rehearsal for the flight around the world, giving them a sneak-prevue what will be needed technically and logistically and how to improve the management unexpected events.
Solar Impulse made its way to the Kingdom of Morocco, under High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and upon invitation of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen), to further strengthen their common goal: to invest in innovative technologies and renewable energies for job creation and sustainable growth. Solar Impulse was honored to be Morocco’s Ambassador and was struck by the public sensitivity to the project and solar energy in general.
Although the flight has been confirmed, the Flight Director may still decide to postpone it or alter the route up to a short time before takeoff. Keep up to date with the latest news on www.solarimpulse.com.
Track the Crossing Frontiers Flights 2012 on the Internet and via the Solar Impulse app.
During the Crossing Frontiers Flights, each flight can be tracked live on www.solarimpulse.com as well as via Twitter (for André or Bertrand), Facebook, Masen’s Facebook page dedicated to the event "Solar Convergence Maroc" and via the Smartphone app “Solar Impulse Inventing the Future”, available free on Appstore and Google Play. The airplane's position, altitude and speed will be shown live and cameras fitted inside the cockpit and at "Mission Control Center", the mission's nerve center, will allow you to experience the adventure live thanks to the satellite communication system developed by Solar Impulse's « National Telecom Partner », Swisscom.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
• In-flight interviews with the pilot will be possible depending on the conditions (in French and English). If you are interested in this option do not hesitate to contact [email protected].
• If you wish to attend the landing in Payerne (Aéropôle 1, rte de Morens, 1530 Payerne) 24 July from 08:00 PM contact: [email protected]
Program:
07:00 pm
Meeting for Photographers & TV at Solar Impulse hangar for a landing shooting close to the runway
08:00 pm
Landing of Solar Impulse (for media and the public there will be a landing viewpoint on a hillock next to the runway)
08:15 pm
Picture session in front of the plane on the runway
09:00 pm
Press conference in front of the Solar Impulse hangar in the presence of Mustapha Bakkoury President of the Management board of Masen (Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy), Bertrand Piccard et André Borschberg founders and pilots of Solar Impulse
09:20 pm
Q&A
09:30 pm
Individual interview
09:45 pm
End of the Event
For more information:
Solar Impulse
Press Department
Tel. +41 58 219 2440
Mobile +41 79 688 45 55
Email: [email protected]
MASEN
Bouchaib El Yafi
Mobile: +212 6 61 08 88 63
Email: [email protected]
About Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse HB-SIA, the first airplane 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 fiber airplane, 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 airplane 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 Material Science and Altran as Official Partners; EPFL (Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology) as Official Scientific Consultant and Dassault-Aviation as Aviation Consultant.
About MASEN
MASEN is responsible for the launching of the Moroccan solar energy plan consisting of developing an integrated solar power strategy. Aside from the production of electricity, MASEN’s activities provide the country with a competitive industrial profile in the solar energy sector, with research and development skills supporting the improvement and development of solar technologies and to develop specialized training branches to feed the needs of this sector.
