Dubai:
The UAE-backed aviation quest by Solar Impulse 2 to circumnavigate the world
using only a solar-powered flight will resume in mid-April, says the team
leader behind the multi-million-dollar mission.
Solar
Impulse 2 is ready once again to champion its next challenge to encircle the
remainder of the globe and is expected to end its mission in Abu Dhabi in
summer, André Borschberg, CEO and founder, told Gulf
News.
“We
plan to return sometime this summer to Abu Dhabi but we have no specific
deadline regarding the arrival. Once we are in Europe or North Africa we have
different strategies to fly to Abu Dhabi depending on the season,” he said.
The
aircraft was forced to ditch its mission temporarily after the plane
experienced battery damage in its longest and most difficult five-day leg of
the round-the-world flight over the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Hawaii where it
landed on July 3, 2015.
The
eighth leg of the mission logged a 117-hour, 52-minute non-stop flight covering
8,900km, smashing world aviation records for longest single flight ever both
for duration and distance as well as for the longest solo flight in history.
While
effecting repairs, the plane has remained grounded for eight months in Hawaii
waiting to embark on its ninth leg to North America.
The
hallmark flight to Hawaii was piloted by Borschberg who said in an exclusive
interview that after making repairs to the planes batteries, the team is ready
to take to the air once again in a couple of weeks.
Solar
Impulse 2 will disembark from Hawaii and plot a track for the United States.
The
take-off day is tentatively slated for April 15, pending weather conditions.
The
April time window was chosen because days are growing longer, giving Solar
Impulse 2 more daylight hours to recharge its batteries while airborne to power
the aircraft through the night flights as it flies easterly.
The
team expects the ninth leg of the resumed round-the-world flight to the US to
take roughly four days and four nights and will be piloted by Solar Impulse 2
chairman Bertrand Piccard given Borschberg completed the first half of the
Pacific journey.
Borschberg
said the team has every confidence in the world in the Solar Impulse 2
technology and its reliability despite mechanical setbacks that grounded the
aircraft last year.
“We
had a problem with the batteries — we overheated them. It’s not a problem with
the technology, which works very well, but we decided to change them not to not
take any risks. So now we are ready to resume the Round-The-World Flight.
During our time in Hawaii, our engineers have developed a fail-safe system
which should safeguard them from temperature-related glitches in case we have
to follow a different mission profile than the one foreseen,” Borschberg said.
“It can be controlled from the cockpit and includes a cooling and backup
system. In case the cooling system breaks down, the backup one steps in,
allowing the pilot to control the opening so that it doesn’t stay completely
open, which would cause freezing, or completely closed, leading to another overheating
scenario.”
He
said the engine housing has been tweaked to include a new air vent allowing for
more air flow into the battery’s cooling system.
“The
task was to improve the battery system — in particular the insulation and
ventilation of the four batteries — so that nothing gets overheated again,” he
said.
With
new adjustments made to the aircraft, Borschberg said challenges still await
Piccard in the cockpit as well as for the entire support team to cross not only
the remainder of the Pacific but also the Atlantic Ocean after Solar Impulse 2
completes its crossing of North America.
The
physical exertion upon the pilot who must stay awake for long periods of flight
time is a major issue as are other health impacts from sustained flying, he
said.
“Additionally,
being able to stay awake, concentrate and to keep alert is a major human
challenge. I did a lot of meditation to learn how to relax and breathe properly
during the flight. With my trainer, we developed special exercises in order to
keep blood circulation active and relax muscles. These were more postures than
exercises, in some way derived from yoga. Above all, however, passion has been
the driving force behind this endeavour,” Borschberg said.
Solar
Impulse 2
The
plane is highly unique with a sizeable wingspan of 72m across — longer than a
Boeing 747 — to reduce drag and to house a surface large enough for its 17,248
solar panels. With a maximum altitude of 28,000 feet, the cruising speed is
between 50-100 km/h. Solar Impulse 2 has four batteries that power four 17.5
horsepower electric engines.
2004-2009:
Start-up financing, design and construction of Solar Impulse 1
2010:
First-ever solar-powered day and night flight (André Borshberg)
2011:
Special guest at Paris-le-Bourget International Air Show
2012:
First intercontinental solar flight across the Mediterranean to Morocco
(Bertrand Piccard)
2013:
Across America Mission from San Francisco to New York City
2014:
Solar Impulse 2 maiden flight
2015:
Departure for the Round-The-World Flight from Abu Dhabi
July
3, 2015: First flight of 5 days and 5 nights without fuel over the Pacific from
Nagoya, Japan, to Honolulu, Hawaii; and longest solo flight ever achieved
(André Borschberg)
April
2016: Round-The-World Flight resumes
Image
by: gulfnews.com
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