André Borschberg, CEO, Co-Founder and Pilot of Solar Impulse in the cockpit of Solar Impulse ready to take-off from Nagoya, Japan This...
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| André Borschberg, CEO, Co-Founder and Pilot of Solar Impulse in the cockpit of Solar Impulse ready to take-off from Nagoya, Japan |
This morning at 3:03 am local time Japan (6:03pm GMT on June 28th) Swiss Pilot André Borschberg took off in the Solar Impulse 2 single seater aircraft from Nagoya endeavoring to reach Hawaii, in what will be the longest exploration leg of the Solar Impulse’s Round-The-World mission.
The first 10 hours of flight were difficult for the team who had to solve technical problems before giving the final go to head for Hawaii when Solar Impulse was already off the coast of Japan.
This is a second attempt after diverting the first time around to Nagoya, Japan following a take off from Nanjing, China. This flight will be demanding and challenging particularly given its duration and the fact that no immediate landing is possible and will be a feat never accomplished before in the world of aviation.
The attempt to reach Hawaii from Japan will represent a real life test of endurance for the pilot while at the same time pushing the limits of the airplane to even new levels. Successfully arriving in Hawaii will proving that the impossible is achievable.
André will venture into the unknown and demonstrate his courage by adapting to extreme circumstances, ranging from living in a small, 3.8 metre cube cockpit; maintaining his confidence that the energy collected from the sun throughout the day will last through the night; and, remaining physically and mentally alert throughout the entire journey. For this, André will sleep only for 20 minutes at a time and will use yoga and meditation to keep his body energy and mindset functioning well.
“The real moment of truth still lies ahead. We are now at the point in the Round-the-World Solar Flight where everything comes together, the engineers who worked on the airplane for the last 12 years, the Mission Control Center who will have to predict weather and guide the airplane through good conditions, and Bertrand who had this vision 16 years ago of an airplane flying for days without fuel to change our mindset regarding the potential of clean technologies and renewable energies" said André Borschberg, Co-Founder, CEO and Pilot.
“An airplane flying day and night without fuel is more than a spectacular milestone in aviation, it's the living proof that clean technologies and renewable energies can achieve incredible feats; and that all these energy efficient technologies should now be used globally in order to have a cleaner world. Solar Impulse is the result of years of innovation from our partners and the hard work of our engineering team led by André”, said Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse Initiator, Chairman and Pilot.
Bertrand Piccard, who will pilot the airplane from Hawaii to Phoenix, will complete the crossing of the Pacific.
Information on Flight 8: Nagoya (Japan) to Kalaeloa (Hawaii)
Pilot: André Borschberg, Solar Impulse Co-Founder and CEO
When: Take-off at 3:03 am local time Japan on June ( 6:03 pm GMT on June 28th)
Expected flight time: 120 hours
Expected flight distance: 7200 km
Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard (Chairman) and André Borschberg (CEO) are the founders, pilots and driving force behind Solar Impulse, the first aircraft able to fly day and night without a drop of fuel – propelled solely by the sun’s energy. With the Si2 aircraft, they will attempt the first Round-
The-World Solar Flight in 2015. Supported by Main Partners Solvay, Omega, Schindler, ABB, and Official Partners Google, Altran, Bayer MaterialScience, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Swisscom and Moët Hennessy, this historic first aims at demonstrating that clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
After the original Solar Impulse Si1 prototype which holds 8 world records, Si2 engineers have designed and constructed a new single-seater aircraft made of carbon fiber. It has a 72 meter wingspan (larger than that of the Boeing 747) for a weight of just 2,300 kg, equivalent to that of a car.
The 17,248 solar cells built into the wing supply electric motors (17.5 CV each) with renewable energy. The solar cells recharge four lithium polymer batteries totaling 633 kg each, which allow the aircraft to fly at night and therefore have virtually unlimited autonomy.
Track the flight LIVE on www.solarimpulse.com
