Simulations Forecast Solar Flight Around the World
January 20th, 2010
Betrand Piccard, president and pilot of Solar Impulse and his partner Andre Borschberg are busy running computerized simulations of possible situations and circumstances they might encounter on their first around-the- world solar flight. In addition to the similated journeys, the duo are also testing a slightly smaller version of the plane to hope to send on it’s first world voyage sometime in 2012 or 2013. Piccard revealed their plans for the solar aircraft at a meeting of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi this week. He said the project has been underway for seven years thus far and they hope to test the plane at heights of 27,000 feet and night flights in the coming year. If successful at this height and flying at night, the next challenge will be to build a larger version of the plane that will be able to carry a passenger, a parachute, a life raft, water, food and oxigen for a total payload of 350 pounds. This will require a plane with a 210 foot wing span. With a weight of 1.6 tons it will be about equivelent of compact car in weight but near the length and width of a passenger jet, thus more resembling a bicycle in structure. In order to make a around the world trip without sleep, Piccard plans on using self-hypnosis to simulate a sleep-like state during the flight. He is not new to self-hypnosis and is well known as an advocate in the field. Neither will this be if first circumvention of the earth, Piccard was the first person to circle the Earth in a baloon in 1999. Authors note: Which came first?… Betrand or the Captain?