The idea of an aeroplane powered by solar energy alone dates back to en American glider pilot, Paul MacCready, an untiring guardian of the environment and renewable energy protagonist who exploited solar cells used for space travel to carry out a Paris-London flight in 1981 using an aeroplane with an arachnidan structure, the Solar Challenger. This adhievement, which for a long period went without any follow-up, inspired Bertrand Piccard with the idea of a solar aero plane also capable of night-time navigation and flights lasting several days without stop-offs or supplies. Motivated for ethical reasons, and empowered by his first non-stop world tour in a non-motored balloon, this grandson and son in a family of distinguished conquerors of the skies managed to bring together a large number of talented people in order to create the Solar Impulse, whose first flight is scheduled for 2010.
Document information
L'avion solaire
Flugzeug mit solarelektrischem Antrieb
2006
5 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 10 Quellen
Article (Journal)
French
Similar titles
TECHNOLOGIE - Le dirigeable défie l'avion solaire
Online Contents | 2002
TECHNOLOGIE - Premiers essais opérationnels pour l'avion solaire Pathfinder Plus
Online Contents | 2002
Aircraft : "L'avion accuse...."
| TIBKAT | 1987
| Engineering Index Backfile | 1932
La securite aerodynamique de l'avion
| Engineering Index Backfile | 1932