13 July 2016
Cairo, Egypt - On its journey around the world, Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) - the solar airplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg - landed in Egypt after a flight of two days andtwo nights (48 hours and 50 minutes) without fuel. This flight, which crossed the Mediterranean Sea from west to east and covered a distance of 3'745 km (2'327 miles) powered only by the sun, was the second to last leg of the attempt to achieve the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight, the goal of which is to demonstrate how modern clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
At the controls of Si2, André Borschberg touched down at the Cairo International Airport, at 07:10 local time (UTC+2), after an iconic moment flying over the pyramids of Egypt completing a flight of two days and days nights - at a maximum altitude of 8'534 m (28'000 feet) and average speed of 76.70 km/h (47.66 mph) - that took off from Seville on 11 July at 6:20 am local time (UTC+2). This flight, connecting Europe to North Africa by crossing the Mediterranean without a drop of fuel, marks the penultimate leg of the first Round-The-World Solar Flight as well as the last flight of André Borschberg in the context of this pioneering adventure, before Bertrand Piccard will take the controls for the last leg to Abu Dhabi.
"This was an emotional and meaningful leg for me, being able to enjoy once more the incredible sensation of flying day and night thanks only to the energy of the sun and enjoying fully the present moment. But it also brought back many memories about the project: from the moment I heard about Bertrand's incredible vision of an airplane with perpetual endurance, to the creativity, motivation and spirit demonstrated by the entire team and partners throughout this adventure," said André Borschberg, Co-Founder and CEO, who flew the solar powered aircraft to Egypt.
"This landing in Cairo brings Solar Impulse back to the origin of my dream. Egypt is the country where I landed after my non-stop round the world balloon flight in 1999, and it's precisely here that I had the idea of an airplane flying around the world on solar power. André and his team of engineers helped to translate my vision into reality, and I congratulate them for having built such a revolutionary airplane," shared Bertrand Piccard, Initiator, Chairman and also Pilot of Si2.
Now in Cairo, Si2 and the Solar Impulse team are ideally positioned to attempt the last leg of the Round-The-World Solar Flight, when the weather is right, and reach Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where the adventure started in March 2015. By flying around the world with no fuel, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg are demonstrating that today exploration and pioneering are no longer about conquering new territories, but about exploring new ways to have a better quality of life on Earth. Solar Impulse's clean technologies can already be used not only in the air, but also on the ground, and have the potential to change individual habits, societies and markets in an unprecedented way.
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Flight report: Leg 16 - Seville International Airport, Spain to Cairo International Airport, Egypt
Pilot: André Borschberg, CEO, Co-founder and Pilot of Solar Impulse
Take-off: 6:20 am local time Seville, Spain on 11 July 2016 (4:20 am UTC on 11 July 2016)
Landing: 7:10 am local time Cairo, Egypt on 13 July 2016 ( 5:10 am UTC on 13 July 2016)
Flight time: 48 hours and 50 minutes
Maximum altitude: 28'000 feet (8'534 m)
Average speed: 47.66 mph (76.70 km/h)
Flight distance covered: 3'745 km ( 2'327 mi)
About Solar Impulse
Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard - Initiator and Chairman - and André Borschberg - CEO and Co-Founder - are the pilots and driving force behind Solar Impulse, the first airplane able to fly day and night without a drop of fuel - propelled solely by the sun's energy. Supported by Main Partners Solvay, Omega, Schindler, ABB, and Official Partners Google, Altran, Covestro, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Swisscom and Moët Hennessy, they are attempting the first Round-The-World Solar Flight with Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) - demonstrating that clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
Si2 is a concentration of clean technologies - a genuine flying laboratory. It is a single-seater aircraft made of carbon fiber that has a 72m / 236ft wingspan (larger than a Boeing 747) for a weight of 2300kg / 5100lb (the equivalent of an empty family car). The 17,248 solar cells built into the wing power the four batteries (38.5kWh per battery) that in turn power the four electric engines (13.5kW / 17.5hp each) and the propellers with renewable energy. The plane is therefore capable of saving a maximum amount of energy during the day and flying throughout the night on batteries. Si2 requires zero fuel and has virtually unlimited autonomy: theoretically, Si2 could fly forever and is only limited by the pilot's sustainability.
For more information:
Solar Impulse Press Team
press@solarimpulse.com
U.S: (347) 650-2460
International: +41 (0)58 219 24 60
Media Backgrounder available here
Quick access for pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/solarimpulse
Quick access for HD Footage of the flight here
Solar Impulse Press Corner (for latest news, HD photos and videos, etc.)
press.solarimpulse.com
Login: Solar Impulse 2
Password: zerofuelairplane
Cairo, Egypt - On its journey around the world, Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) - the solar airplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg - landed in Egypt after a flight of two days andtwo nights (48 hours and 50 minutes) without fuel. This flight, which crossed the Mediterranean Sea from west to east and covered a distance of 3'745 km (2'327 miles) powered only by the sun, was the second to last leg of the attempt to achieve the first ever Round-The-World Solar Flight, the goal of which is to demonstrate how modern clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
At the controls of Si2, André Borschberg touched down at the Cairo International Airport, at 07:10 local time (UTC+2), after an iconic moment flying over the pyramids of Egypt completing a flight of two days and days nights - at a maximum altitude of 8'534 m (28'000 feet) and average speed of 76.70 km/h (47.66 mph) - that took off from Seville on 11 July at 6:20 am local time (UTC+2). This flight, connecting Europe to North Africa by crossing the Mediterranean without a drop of fuel, marks the penultimate leg of the first Round-The-World Solar Flight as well as the last flight of André Borschberg in the context of this pioneering adventure, before Bertrand Piccard will take the controls for the last leg to Abu Dhabi.
"This was an emotional and meaningful leg for me, being able to enjoy once more the incredible sensation of flying day and night thanks only to the energy of the sun and enjoying fully the present moment. But it also brought back many memories about the project: from the moment I heard about Bertrand's incredible vision of an airplane with perpetual endurance, to the creativity, motivation and spirit demonstrated by the entire team and partners throughout this adventure," said André Borschberg, Co-Founder and CEO, who flew the solar powered aircraft to Egypt.
"This landing in Cairo brings Solar Impulse back to the origin of my dream. Egypt is the country where I landed after my non-stop round the world balloon flight in 1999, and it's precisely here that I had the idea of an airplane flying around the world on solar power. André and his team of engineers helped to translate my vision into reality, and I congratulate them for having built such a revolutionary airplane," shared Bertrand Piccard, Initiator, Chairman and also Pilot of Si2.
Now in Cairo, Si2 and the Solar Impulse team are ideally positioned to attempt the last leg of the Round-The-World Solar Flight, when the weather is right, and reach Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where the adventure started in March 2015. By flying around the world with no fuel, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg are demonstrating that today exploration and pioneering are no longer about conquering new territories, but about exploring new ways to have a better quality of life on Earth. Solar Impulse's clean technologies can already be used not only in the air, but also on the ground, and have the potential to change individual habits, societies and markets in an unprecedented way.
###
Flight report: Leg 16 - Seville International Airport, Spain to Cairo International Airport, Egypt
Pilot: André Borschberg, CEO, Co-founder and Pilot of Solar Impulse
Take-off: 6:20 am local time Seville, Spain on 11 July 2016 (4:20 am UTC on 11 July 2016)
Landing: 7:10 am local time Cairo, Egypt on 13 July 2016 ( 5:10 am UTC on 13 July 2016)
Flight time: 48 hours and 50 minutes
Maximum altitude: 28'000 feet (8'534 m)
Average speed: 47.66 mph (76.70 km/h)
Flight distance covered: 3'745 km ( 2'327 mi)
About Solar Impulse
Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard - Initiator and Chairman - and André Borschberg - CEO and Co-Founder - are the pilots and driving force behind Solar Impulse, the first airplane able to fly day and night without a drop of fuel - propelled solely by the sun's energy. Supported by Main Partners Solvay, Omega, Schindler, ABB, and Official Partners Google, Altran, Covestro, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Swisscom and Moët Hennessy, they are attempting the first Round-The-World Solar Flight with Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) - demonstrating that clean technologies can achieve the impossible.
Si2 is a concentration of clean technologies - a genuine flying laboratory. It is a single-seater aircraft made of carbon fiber that has a 72m / 236ft wingspan (larger than a Boeing 747) for a weight of 2300kg / 5100lb (the equivalent of an empty family car). The 17,248 solar cells built into the wing power the four batteries (38.5kWh per battery) that in turn power the four electric engines (13.5kW / 17.5hp each) and the propellers with renewable energy. The plane is therefore capable of saving a maximum amount of energy during the day and flying throughout the night on batteries. Si2 requires zero fuel and has virtually unlimited autonomy: theoretically, Si2 could fly forever and is only limited by the pilot's sustainability.
For more information:
Solar Impulse Press Team
press@solarimpulse.com
U.S: (347) 650-2460
International: +41 (0)58 219 24 60
Media Backgrounder available here
Quick access for pictures: www.flickr.com/photos/solarimpulse
Quick access for HD Footage of the flight here
Solar Impulse Press Corner (for latest news, HD photos and videos, etc.)
press.solarimpulse.com
Login: Solar Impulse 2
Password: zerofuelairplane
© Press Release 2016
