The Solar Impulse HB-SIA, an aircraft that flies on solar power, left the ground and completed its first flight in Switzerland. Solar Impulse founder and president Bertrand Piccard says it was an unforgettable moment.
Following a time schedule that would make some of the larger airplane makers jealous, the Solar Impulse team followed up recent taxi tests with a short 'flea hop' over the runway at the Dübendorf Airfield where the program is based.
In 2010 the next step will be a 36 hour flight. In 2011 there will be a flight around the world near the equator, but essentially in the northern hemisphere. Five stops are planned to change pilots. Each leg will last three to four days, limited by the physiology of the human pilot.
Solar Impulse website.
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