First solar powered aircraft takes flight

CAIRO: Swiss engineers have test flown the first aircraft that runs entirely on solar power. According to a press release from The Solar Impulse, the aircraft flew to 4,000 feet and stayed air born for 87-minutes as the designers looked at its stability and maneuverability ahead of a planned global circumnavigation attempt in 2012.
“This first mission was the most risky phase of the entire project,” said André Borschberg, chief executive and co-founder of Solar Impulse, in a statement from the company.
“Never has an airplane as large and light ever flown before. The aim was to verify the prototype's behavior in flight, and to test its reaction to various maneuvers. The success of this first flight allows us to envisage the program with greater serenity.”
According to details released by the company, the plane has a wingspan much wider than a Boeing 787 and has 12,000 solar panels installed. It weighs approximately 3.5 tons when fully loaded and is currently being powered by four 10-horsepower engines.
It can cruise at speeds of around 45 miles per hour at the current levels.
“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 an entire team, an essential step towards achieving our vision has been taken,” said Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard.
“Our future depends on our ability to convert rapidly to the use of renewable energies. Solar Impulse is intended to demonstrate what can be done already by using these energies, and applying new technologies that can save natural resources.”
The next stage in development will be to prepare the aircraft for the global flight scheduled for 2012. It will begin in the Middle East and consist of five stages of three to four days each, the company said.
Pilots will be forced to gain altitude and then charge the batteries during the day when the sun is available, then glide downwards during the night time.
“Piccard and Borschberg are true pioneers and ambassadors of flights propelled only by solar energy, searching for opportunities to meet tomorrow's mobility challenges by developing alternative propulsion solutions,” noted the Brunswick Prize jury.
“They push the limits of technical feasibility, and convince us of their determination and their outstanding commitment.
“The outcome of their achievements has given us new and fundamental expertise in man-machine interfacing, aircraft construction technology and alternative energies.”
BM