Successful challenge for the solar plane Solar Impulse

The fact that we can fly 24 hours around the clock with nothing but sunlight has been successfully demonstrated by Solar Impulse. Solar impulse is an experimental aircraft that has been designed by a Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard who completed the first trip around the world with a hot air balloon in 1999. It was piloted by Andre Borschberg, CEO and co-founder of the project, a former fighter pilot.




The electro-solar plane landed today,Thursday, July 8 in the morning without incident after a flight of 26 hours only powered by solar energy and batteries.
The aircraft hit the runway at the military base of Payerne, in western Switzerland, cheered by hundreds of spectators.
The prototype, whose wings are covered with 12,000 photovoltaic cells powering four electric engines, took off Wednesday morning and continued the night flight without interruption , a first for the aircraft and the team. The lithium-polymer batteries 400kg installed on the aircraft, which have been recharged by solar panels throughout the day Wednesday, provided the energy to keep the aircraft in the air during red-eye hours. Solar Impulse had succeeded on April 7 in Switzerland its first flight about an hour and a half, the first step in a series of tests. "We did it, it's fantastic!" Said Bertrand Piccard.

The team of about 70 people plans to conduct more flights to calibrate the machine and eventually build a second copy, which will tour the world in five stops in 2013 or 2014.

Continental unsheath Dreamliner 787

If there is a plane getting a fair share of the press these days, it's none but the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Some are calling it the iPhone of aviation, because it is the first plane that has been designed exclusively during the 21st century. With around US$10 billion spent on its development by Boeing, this composite material ultra-light fuel-efficient aircraft hopes to revolutionise point-to-point services. In a depressed travel market, the Dreamliner has the edge on fast turn-around routes and manageable size. In other words, thanks to its light weight and its condensed size, the Dreamliner is extremely flexible in terms of endurance and airport regulations.

The Dreamliner is not a low-cost concept. Its interior is voluptuous and designed for comfort. Here are a few novelties brought to the Dreamliner:

- The windows are 65% larger than the wall-holes we have on traditional commercial aircrafts. As Randy Tinseth mentions, VP Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle, the windows are dimmable electronically.
- Larger overhead bins
- Better air-filtration system, lower cabin pressure, quieter cabins
- Reduction of motion-sickness thanks to new wing technology

That's a lot of innovation in one shot!

In terms of business, the Dreamliner is not depreciated either. Today, Continental announced it will be the first airliner to assign the Dreamliner to a commercial route. The D-day is scheduled on Nov. 16, 2011. Continental plans to deploy its first 787 on the 7,400-mile route between Houston Bush Intercontinental and Auckland, New Zealand.

As an outing eye-candy, here are a few pictures I snapped from right and left on the Web to bring it to you on this blog:











Official page of the Boeing Dreamliner 787