Solar Impulse

Solar Impulse airplane is a project of the Swiss Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg and the name of the developed solar aircraft.

The aim of the project is to establish a communications platform for new technical, environmental and economic sciences. Obtaining a world record is expressly not in focus. The goal is to construct environmentally friendly engine aircraft without consumption of fuel after the testing phase.

• 5.1 Structure
• 5.2 Flight testing and record flights
• 5.3 Technical data of the prototype HB -SIA
• 5.4 Records of the HB -SIA

Significant flights

The first intercontinental flight by a solar-powered aircraft succeeded on June 5, 2012 with the solar plane with the registration HB- SIA in about 19 ​​hours over 830 kilometers from Madrid (Spain ) to Rabat (Morocco ). The visit to Morocco at the invitation of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy ( Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy, Masen ) was made at the start of construction of solar thermal power plant in Ouarzazate. For this purpose, the solar plane flew on June 21 from Rabat to Ouarzazate and on June 30 back to Rabat before it finally flew back to Spain 898 km in a 17- hour flight on July 6, 2012. On 24 July 2012, the aircraft returned to Switzerland.

The " Across America 2013 " Flights from California to New York (in 5 stages) took place between July 6, 2013 of 3 May.

For April-June 2014, an orbit is planned in several stages with the currently under construction HB -SIB.

Vision and success of the main initiator Bertrand Piccard

The project aimed to construct eco-friendly flying airplanes without consumption of fuel, came about after Piccard a non-stop circumnavigation of the world in a balloon Breitling Orbiter III, in 1999 successfully completed.

In his public appearances Bertrand Piccard repeatedly emphasized the visionary ambitions of the project: the reorientation of the lifestyle of industrialized society that bypasses irresponsible use of natural fossil resources of the planet. He wants to show that a responsible, sustainable energy transition is possible and imperative. It is already possible with today's technology, the energy consumption by more than half. The project was to be understood not only as an airplane, but as economic, environmental and scientific message and symbol, he reported to the French National Assembly.

A special knowledge had Piccard after the landing of non-stop balloon flight around the earth in Egypt. When he saw that there were only 40 kg left over from the 3.7 tons of LPG, which had the balloon during launch aboard, he gave his own words the promise to take his next trip around the world without fuel to the " threat " of scarcity of fossil energy to be independent and secure. During the project the project team will meet regularly in connection with the public and especially young people, he said, already at the TED conference in 2009. The project is supported by a broad media coverage worldwide.

Schedule

On November 28, 2003 Piccard and Borschberg officially announced the start of the project after a study of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne had confirmed the feasibility. 2004 saw the founding of the company Solar Impulse SA. The Institute of Technology Lausanne, ESA and the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation could be obtained as a partner.

In June 2007, construction of the first prototype HB -SIA began. Its first flight took place on December 3, 2009. Since 2011 is working on a second prototype. This should include, among other improvements, a pressurized cabin. In May 2011, the first international flight of the HB- SIA took place. She flew from Payerne military airfield ( Switzerland ) to Brussels. In May / June 2012, she went on her first intercontinental flight. After its launch in Payerne, the HB -SIA flew first to Madrid and then from there to Rabat.

Because the last structural test in July 2012, a cracked wing spar of the second prototype HB -SIB, the schedule of world tour postponed. You will likely take place in 2015 in five stages earlier as planned one year.

Cross-country U.S. flight

For 2013, initially was a flight of HB -SIA via the United States from the West to the East Coast planned over 5000 km ( cross-country U.S. flight ). The stages leading from Mountain View (California ) over Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport ( Arizona), Dallas -Fort Worth International Airport ( Texas), Lambert -Saint Louis International Airport ( Missouri) and Dulles International Airport ( Washington, DC) to John F. Kennedy International Airport ( New York City). The flight took off on May 3, 2013 in San Francisco. He had made ​​the most of the end of June and arrived in Washington on the penultimate point.

On July 6. 2013, at 23:09 EDT, the Solar Impulse landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

The arrival of the last, about 18 -hour stage took place three hours earlier than planned, due to a 2.5 meter wide crack on the underside of the left wing. Overall, the Solar Impulse was 105 hours and 41 minutes in the air, so almost four and a half days or 17.5 hours. They put about 3000 miles, which is more than 5,600 kilometers back. On average, they had 28.8 knots, about 53 kilometers an hour.

Project goal

The goal of the project is to raise awareness of the need for energy conservation and the use and promotion of renewable energies. For this purpose, it is desired to fly the world in order to produce corresponding attention. The launch will take place in 2014, and the flight will take place in the vicinity of the equator, but mainly over the northern hemisphere. Five stopovers are provided. They are used to change the pilot and introduce the public and leaders of political science and the company. Each flight segment will take three to four days for the pilot André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard maximum tolerable flight duration. If the weight of the batteries can be reduced through improved efficiency, the aircraft could accommodate two pilots for long -duration flights. In this way a non-stop circumnavigation of the world would move into the realm of possibility.

HB-SIA prototype

The design and construction of the first prototype with the registration HB -SIA has started in 2007. The goal was to perform the first night flight in 2010. The aircraft was completed in 2009.

Construction

The HB -SIA is a cantilever four -engined high-wing monoplane with a high aspect ratio. The span is 63.40 meters, approximately corresponding to the Airbus A340, with a weight of only 1.6 tons. The average flight speed of 70 km / h The single-seat cockpit has no pressurized cabin, thus the maximum altitude is limited to 8,500 meters. The pilot needed due to the large altitudes heat clothes and an oxygen mask. In order to achieve the required flight performance is required, an extreme lightweight. The hull is a grid system made from carbon, aramid and glass fiber reinforced plastic and is like tail and lower wing surface covered with a thin plastic film, the underside of the aileron even with only one network. The supporting surface is made up of a box beam 120 and the forming ribs. Of the 11,628 solar cells are 10,748 on the wing upper surface ( about 200 m²) and 880 mounted on the horizontal tail. The electric motors are mounted in four elongated engine nacelles under the wing and drift over a low-speed two-bladed tractor propeller with the gearbox only 200 to 400 rpm to. Similarly, 70 LiPo battery cells and their charging and monitoring electronics are housed in each engine nacelle. The chassis consists of a central, retractable main wheel of a high boom under the fuselage gondola, two to the rear retractable training wheels on the wings between the engine nacelles and a fixed tail wheel at the bottom of the vertical stabilizer. Due to the very low surface load ( 8 kg / m²), the aircraft is sensitive to turbulence.

Flight testing and record flights

On 6 November 2009, the prototype HB -SIA left for the first time the hangar of the airport in Dübendorf, Switzerland. Various tests have been performed to electromagnetic interference in current engines. On November 19, the plane put the first few meters back on the runway under its own power. The first short flight over a distance of 350 meters succeeded on 3 December 2009 and lasted 30 seconds.

On 7 April 2010, the first detailed maiden flight followed in Payerne. It took about 1 ½ hours, the test pilot reached 1200 meters altitude. The expectations were exceeded, the aircraft showed a very stable flight.

The first flight over day and night ( 26 hours of flight time ), and thus also the first night flight took place on July 8, 2010 from 7. The Solar Impulse with the pilot André Borschberg thereby rose a day to over 9000 meters and invited it the batteries. After sunset, they fell in the first night without motors back to 1500 meters away, and then to keep the height to the power from the batteries until sunrise ( battery charge at sunrise over 40%). The prototype was hence new records under the solar aircraft.

In September 2010, the prototype took off for the first time a Swiss "Cities flight " away from a military airfield. He landed at the international airports of Geneva, Zurich and flew over Bern and Lucerne.

The first European flight led in May 2011 from Payerne in Switzerland to France, Germany, Luxembourg to Belgium to land in Brussels. There are some political discussions took place, the European Commission is the patron of the project. In June, the HB -SIA was " special guest" at the Paris Air Show.

The first intercontinental flight took on 5 June 2012 on a stopover at Madrid -Barajas airport 2500 km across the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco to land at the airport in the Moroccan capital Rabat. At the first stage to Madrid two more records to the flight length of piece were able to be established: 1116 km. At the invitation of King Mohammed VI. the beginning of the work of a solar thermal power plant in Ouarzazate was accompanied, is expected to provide 500 megawatts of solar power as part of DESERTEC. The plant is expected in 2014 to coincide with the orbit operation. The Moroccan king drives with the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy ( Masen ) preceded the Moroccan Solar Plan, which provides for two gigawatts of solar power by 2020.

The trip to North Africa was planned as a final test mission of the prototype HB -SIA. The next flights should be carried out with the larger HB -SIB as well as two years later planned circumnavigation of the globe. Because the completion of the HB -SIB delayed a flight over the USA is planned with the HB -SIA 2013.

Specifications of the prototype HB -SIA

Back-contact solar cells, 150 micron thickness

Records of the HB -SIA

Records in the category of solar-powered aircraft that have been ratified by the night flight in October 2010 by the International Air Sports Federation FAI:

On the first stage of the intercontinental flight from Payerne ( Switzerland ) to Madrid two more records were accepted for flight length in the category Solar Plane on 25 May 2012.

Solar Impulse HB -SIB (under construction)

The plane, with the world tour to take place in five stages, is since 2011 under construction. The completion and the first test flights are planned for 2013 to 2014. For flights over the oceans, it is better equipped. Thus, a pressurized cabin is built for high altitudes, which is also spacious, increases the payload and the wiring and avionics made ​​watertight in order to fly in the rain can. Thanks redundant systems increases the reliability by oxygen supply and other systems to support the pilot to a flight altitude of 12,000 m are possible. With 80 -meter wingspan, it will be wider than the A380 and merely be as heavy as a car due to the lightweight construction.

For the second model, new materials and fabrication methods have been developed to increase the power with the partners. There are carbon fiber, nanotechnology and a novel electrolyte for the batteries used, which further increases their energy density. The HB -SIA, however, was designed with relatively conventional technologies.

Partner

Partners of the project are

• Main partners: Solvay, Omega SA, the German Bank and Schindler
• Official Partners: Bayer MaterialScience, Altran, Swisscom and Swiss Re
• Research and institutional proceedings partners: EPFL, ESA, IATA and Dassault Aviation

Awards

2012

• Champion of the Earth Award by the United Nations Environment Programme to Bertrand Piccard

2011

• Lindbergh Electric Aircraft Prize in recognition of significant achievements in the areas of technology, design, social engagement and public education
• Watt d' Or 2011 by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy

2010

• European Solar Prize 2010 in the category Transport and mobility of Euro Solar
• Prix ​​Icare 2010, the Association of journalistes professionnels de l' aéronautique et de l' espace ( AJPAE ) '
• Swiss Solar Award 2010 in the category personalities and institutions of the solar Agency Switzerland