It works on solar energy.
The aircraft Solar Impulse 2 has just completed the first in the history of mankind round the world flight on solar energy. The aircraft broke the 43 thousand kilometers in 23 days and not used a drop of fuel.
Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi airport on March 9, 2015. Pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg completed the mission only recently because of the 9-month delay last year. Then the solar battery of the aircraft was damaged during a flight from Japan to Hawaii. Also the final flight from Egypt to Abu Dhabi had to be postponed for a week due to weather conditions and disease Piccard.
Si2 – single plane carbon fiber with a wingspan of 72 meters (more than a Boeing 747) and a weight of 2300 kg (the equivalent of an empty family car). 17 248 solar cells built into the wings of the plane, fed by four batteries (38,5 kWh battery), which in turn feed four electric motor (13.5 kW / 17,5 HP each) and propellers. Thus, the aircraft is able to accumulate the maximum amount of energy by day and fly all night on the batteries. Si2 does not need fuel and has an almost unlimited autonomy: in theory, Si2 can fly forever, it limits only the sustainability of the pilot.
Si2 – single plane carbon fiber with a wingspan of 72 meters (more than a Boeing 747) and a weight of 2300 kg (the equivalent of an empty family car). 17 248 solar cells built into the wings of the plane, fed by four batteries (38,5 kWh battery), which in turn feed four electric motor (13.5 kW / 17,5 HP each) and propellers. Thus, the aircraft is able to accumulate the maximum amount of energy by day and fly all night on the batteries. Si2 does not need fuel and has an almost unlimited autonomy: in theory, Si2 can fly forever, it limits only the sustainability of the pilot.
Solar Impulse 2находился in the air more than 500 hours, average flight speed ranged between 45 km/h and 90 km/h. the Plane stayed in Oman, India, Myanmar, China, Japan, USA, Spain, Italy, Egypt and the UAE.
The pilots were asleep for 20 minutes 12 times per day. In the cockpit you can’t stand up, but the seat leans back and the toilet is located under the pillow. The pilots wore special glasses that woke them up flashes of light, and armbands, which started to vibrate if the plane dropped below a predetermined height.
Piccard, a psychiatrist by training – the son of undersea Explorer Jacques Piccard and grandson of balloonist Auguste Piccard. In 1999, he became the first person in history to circumnavigate the world journey in a balloon without stopping. Borschberg, an engineer and graduate of MIT, is also an entrepreneur. He launched the Solar Impulse project along with Piccard in 2003.
