Solar Impulse Aircraft Technology Trial

The physical testing phase of an innovative new solar-powered aircraft design that its makers hope will be able to circumnavigate the world will shortly get underway, it has been announced.  The Solar Impulse is set to take to the skies for the first time in February 2010, and carry out its record-breaking flight two years on from that.  On November 20th and 21st 2009, though, initial taxiing trials will take place  and, earlier this week, assessments were undertaken to establish the performance of its four engines and its avionics.

Solar Impulse’s wingspan is equivalent to that of a Boeing 747 commercial airliner, but its weight is a mere 1,500 kilograms.  The aircraft features no less than 11,628 solar-energy converting photovoltaic panels, of which almost 10,750 are on the wings.  These panels will collect energy during the day – powering the aircraft along – while stored energy will allow night flights to take place too. 

Solar Powered Aircraft Technology

According to figures published on the Solar Impulse website, this solar powered aircraft technology platform will cruise at an average speed of 70 kilometres, and at a maximum altitude of almost 28,000 feet.  The airframe features carbon fibre technologies, while the long wings encase lithium batteries. 

It is planned that the actual round-the-world flight will be carried out by Swiss balloon adventurer Bertrand Piccard.
“It's very exciting, we are moving now toward a very concrete phase”, the chief executive of Solar Impulse, Andre Borschberg, told the BBC.  “You have to realise this airplane is quite special and you cannot just put it on the runway, apply full power and go in the air - it has to be done really step-by-step.”

Solar Impulse Trials

The imminent Solar Impulse trials will take place using Dubendorf Airport’s runway in Switzerland, weather-dependant.  If these yield positive results, then a brief ‘hop’ into the air is scheduled to take place before the end of 2009.  In further comments, Mr Borschberg likened this hop to the first few tentative steps into the air achieved on December 17th 1903 by the Wright Flyer – the world’s first successful powered aircraft design.

“We'll take off at the beginning of the runway, fly a few metres above it - a little bit like the Wright brothers did in 1903 - and then land again, to see how it behaves at the beginning of the flight”, he explained.

Enviro-News will bring you further coverage of the Solar Impulse project as future facts emerge.

Solar Impulse image kindly provided by and copyright of Solar Impulse