Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard's team took its round-the-world solar plane prototype into the skies for the first time Wednesday, with four propellers lifting the massive craft off the ground at near bicycle speed. The test flight lasted just short of 11/2 hours and aimed to see if the plane, with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car, could keep a straight trajectory. The team plans to fly it around the world in 2012.
"To fly without fuel, we have to make it fly in line," said Piccard, who in 1999 copiloted the first non-stop round-the-globe balloon flight. "There might be things that go wrong maybe a technical problem, engine failure or a part breakdown." The takeoff and landing appeared smooth, however.
At a military airport in the Swiss countryside, the "Solar Impulse" plane lifted off after at a speed no faster than 45 kph (28 mph) after only a short acceleration on the runway. It slowly gained altitude above the green and beige fields, and disappeared eventually into the horizon as villagers watched from the nearest hills. The descent was even slower, as the sun-powered craft hovered ahead of the runway for a couple of minutes before touching down to cheers from spectators.
The weather for the maiden flight was sunny. The ¤70 million project has been conducting flea-hop tests since December, taking the plane no higher than 60 centimeters (2 feet) in altitude and 300 meters (1,000 feet) in distance. A night flight is planned later this year, and then a new plane will be built based on the results of those tests.
The big takeoff is planned for 2012, and it will use not an ounce of fuel. Using almost 12,000 solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors, Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg plan to take the plane around the world with stops to allow them to switch over and stretch after long periods in the cramped cockpit.
Comments
Comments are closed.