Flying across the America with Solar power

Bertrand Piccard may have the adventurous nature of the genes. His father, Jacques, was the first to explore the Challenger Deep, the deepest point of the ocean. His grandfather, Auguste, who inspired character Professor Calculus in the Tintin comics, with a record height of 15.8 thousand meters using pressurized balloon gondola.

The Solar Impulse pilot, André Borschberg (centre) and Bertrand Piccard (left). (Picture from: http://www.solarimpulse.com/)

Now, Bertrand Piccard trying to add a new record in the family record. 55-year-old psychiatrist was going to fly a plane to equal the length of a jumbo jet wings to cross the United States only by solar energy. The flights are scheduled to take place on May 1, 2013, it was one of Piccard's dream stage to see the solar plane flying around the world in 2015.

Route of the Solar Impluse. (Picture
from: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/)

Before the flight manifest, every day, when the sky is clear, the  Solar Impulse HB-SIA aircraft continue to do a test flight from the research air field of NASA in Silicon Valley. In flight which will cover a distance of almost 5,000 kilometers. The Solar Impulse, which departed from San Francisco, will stop in five cities, namely in Dallas, Phoenix, Atlanta or St. Louis, Washington DC, and finish in New York.

"When I was little, I see my dad diving to the deepest point in the ocean with the United States Navy," Piccard said on its website. "That was my first inspiration. Days, with scientific exploration, I want to inspire others to achieve the impossible, thanks to the spirit of a pioneer." The aircraft that used by Swiss adventurer was very different from the general plane we see today. At first glance, Piccard's aircraft look like a giant with 63 meters of wing span, slightly longer than the Boeing 747 wing. Unlike the jumbo jet, which weighs more than 300 tons, Solar Impulse is only 1,6 tons (3,527 lbs), lighter than a family car.

Comparing the Solar Impluse. (Picture
from: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/)

The light weight is a requirement for the irrefutable this solar plane. The engineers involved in the manufacture of the aircraft should be cut every gram of excess weight on the plane because of carbon fiber frame four motors that convert sunlight into electricity just to generate power equivalent motorcycle. To keep the weight of the aircraft remain mild, non pressurized cockpit and the pilot did not have a heater.

Although the stability of ultra-light aircraft is very vulnerable in bad weather, a combination of incredible wing span length and feather design makes the Solar Impulse able to do something that can not be done by another solar plane. The aircraft is able to absorb enough energy during the day so that the plane can fly at night time. During the clear sky, the only problem that could stop this plane to fly is the pilot endurance.

The Solar Impulse is the world’s first airplane to fly both day and night without fuel. (Picture from: http://inhabitat.com/)

To fly this plane, Piccard will share duties with André Borschberg, a Swiss businessman who was also involved in the aircraft manufacture. Two years ago, Borschberg scoring record flew 24 hours non-stop with the Solar Impulse HB-SIA.

With a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the Solar Impulse is expected to full day flight to reach several cities, which is located up to 1,400 kilometers. The mission is expected to last up to 55 days. Solar Impulse team will rest about a week, in each city stops they will be campaign and raise awareness about renewable energy.

The Solar Impulse description. (Picture from: http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/)

"The aircraft was only carrying one pilot and not carrying passengers, but the message it carries very much," said Piccard when it announced plans last March 2013. "Today we can not imagine a solar plane carrying 200 passengers, but in 1903 with the same condition, no one believes that man can fly."

Piccard said that no human being can know with certainty what will happen in the future. "But we have to start it and see where technology will take us," he said. Flight across the United States will increase the Solar Impulse's flight hour. In 2012, Piccard and Borschberg successfully conducted flight with solar power in Europe, they fly from Switzerland to Spain and finished in Morocco.

First technical flight at Moffet Airfield. (Picture from: http://www.solarimpulse.com/)

With the weight limits that can not be contested, less likely solar plane could replace oil-powered aircraft in the near future, but the invention Piccard and Borschberg has intrigued drone makers.

Piccard and his team are also trying to improve their solar plane. Targets in order to fly around the world has been a success, the Solar Impulse team must create an aircraft that can operate in cloudy weather. Now they are assembling the latest version of the Solar Impulse aircraft, the HB-SIB series, which can answer the challenge.

Compared to its predecessor, the HB-SIA, the new Solar Impulse aircraft, 11 percent larger. HB-SIB is also designed to be able to cross the ocean of a more humid climate from east to west in the north hemisphere. If the flight across the United States is successful, the team hopes to fly around the world with the new aircraft in 2015. (See previous flight of the Solar Impulse.) *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SOLARIMPULSE | SOLVAY | INHABITAT | TJANDRA DEWI | KORAN TEMPO 4203]

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