Foo_Fighter
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World’s first solar power plane to touch Ahmedabad, Varanasi
PAYERNE (SWITZERLAND): Ahmedabad and Varanasi are set for a flying start. The cities will be ports of stop in India for a unique experiment that began in Switzerland — a round-the-world flight by the first aircraft run on solar power.
In March next year, the Solar Impulse will fly into Ahmedabad from Abu Dhabi, where it begins its flight, and then halt at Varanasi before flying further towards the Pacific.
And, it's not politics but tail wind that has led psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard — initiator of project Solar Impulse — to pick the two cities. "I met Narendra Modi twice when I was in Ahmedabad," said Piccard. Choosing these cities is purely a meteorological requirement, said Piccard, at the Solar Impulse centre here, about 60 km from Bern.
Piccard has teamed up with MIT graduate Andre Borschberg to build and operate the green airplane, an 11-year-old, $150 million project financed by a number of private companies including Omega, Schindler and ABB.
The flight that will begin in Abu Dhabi will fly over the Arabian Sea to reach India, is then likely to fly to China, then cross the Pacific Ocean, the US, Atlantic Ocean and aouthern Europe or North Africa before returning to Abu Dhabi.
The aircraft, with a wingspan of 72 m, which makes it wider than a Boeing 747 to create surface area for solar cells, weighs as much as a car — 2,300 kg — with a maximum cruising altitude of 27,000 feet at a speed of 140 km per hour. The plane can carry just one pilot.
"We have asked for permission to land in India. We are in touch with the DGCA, AAI and ministry of renewable energy. We have also requested China for permission to land," said Piccard.
"Our first goal is not to transport passengers. The Wright brothers too did not have the technology to fly passengers. The idea is to use modern technology to reduce the energy lost by the use of old technologies," said Piccard.
The pilot will be live on social network throughout the trip, sharing his experiences. He will also interact with the people and school children at every stop. "It's a first, which means there are no bench marks. It is a completely new territory. This is known as exploration," he said.
Till now, the Solar Impulse has made a number of test flights including a 26-hour flight on July 2010 with nine hours of night flying, an intercontinental 19-hour flight from Madrid to Pabat in Morocco and a cross-US flight from California to Arizona.
World’s first solar power plane to touch Ahmedabad, Varanasi - The Times of India
PAYERNE (SWITZERLAND): Ahmedabad and Varanasi are set for a flying start. The cities will be ports of stop in India for a unique experiment that began in Switzerland — a round-the-world flight by the first aircraft run on solar power.
In March next year, the Solar Impulse will fly into Ahmedabad from Abu Dhabi, where it begins its flight, and then halt at Varanasi before flying further towards the Pacific.
And, it's not politics but tail wind that has led psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard — initiator of project Solar Impulse — to pick the two cities. "I met Narendra Modi twice when I was in Ahmedabad," said Piccard. Choosing these cities is purely a meteorological requirement, said Piccard, at the Solar Impulse centre here, about 60 km from Bern.
Piccard has teamed up with MIT graduate Andre Borschberg to build and operate the green airplane, an 11-year-old, $150 million project financed by a number of private companies including Omega, Schindler and ABB.
The flight that will begin in Abu Dhabi will fly over the Arabian Sea to reach India, is then likely to fly to China, then cross the Pacific Ocean, the US, Atlantic Ocean and aouthern Europe or North Africa before returning to Abu Dhabi.
The aircraft, with a wingspan of 72 m, which makes it wider than a Boeing 747 to create surface area for solar cells, weighs as much as a car — 2,300 kg — with a maximum cruising altitude of 27,000 feet at a speed of 140 km per hour. The plane can carry just one pilot.
"We have asked for permission to land in India. We are in touch with the DGCA, AAI and ministry of renewable energy. We have also requested China for permission to land," said Piccard.
"Our first goal is not to transport passengers. The Wright brothers too did not have the technology to fly passengers. The idea is to use modern technology to reduce the energy lost by the use of old technologies," said Piccard.
The pilot will be live on social network throughout the trip, sharing his experiences. He will also interact with the people and school children at every stop. "It's a first, which means there are no bench marks. It is a completely new territory. This is known as exploration," he said.
Till now, the Solar Impulse has made a number of test flights including a 26-hour flight on July 2010 with nine hours of night flying, an intercontinental 19-hour flight from Madrid to Pabat in Morocco and a cross-US flight from California to Arizona.
World’s first solar power plane to touch Ahmedabad, Varanasi - The Times of India
