THE SOLAR Impulse, an aircraft being developed by a Swiss group for an attempted flight around the world using only solar power, completed its first test flight last week at a military air base in western Switzerland. The airplane, powered solely by four 10 horsepower electric motors, climbed to an altitude of about 3,600 feet before returning to land after a flight of 87 minutes. "This first flight was for me a very intense moment!" exclaimed Solar Impulse test pilot Markus Scherdel, full of excitement, on stepping down from the aircraft. "The HB-SIA behaved just as the flight simulator told us. Despite its immense size and feather weight, the aircraft�s controllability matches our expectations." The project co-founder Andre Borschgerg said that additional tests would be conducted to refine the airplane for the round- the-world attempt, and that construction on that airplane would begin next year. "This first mission was the most risky phase of the entire project. One and a half hours of intense emotion after 7 years of research, testing and perseverance. Never has an airplane as large and light ever flown before. This summer, we want to show that we can fly night and day. This will happen in Payerne. Hopefully in May, June or July," he added. The aircraft�s wings are covered with 12 thousand solar cells to provide power to its batteries, which weigh almost 900 pounds. The five-stage circumnavigation attempt is planned in 2013. "We still have a long way to go until the night flights and an even longer way before flying round the world, but today, thanks to the extraordinary work of our entire team, an essential step towards achieving our vision has been taken," adds Solar Impulse Chairman and initiator Bertrand Piccard.
