The first non-stop flight around the world by plane. Refueling with the sun

The authors of an ambitious Swiss project are going to, no less, transfer the whole world to renewable energy sources. As a detailed illustration of its idea, the company created an airplane that can fly without a single drop of fuel. There have been similar projects before, but none of them could boast of such a well-thought-out system. And never before has a manned vehicle been flown into the air, which is capable of functioning not only during the day, but also at night - and all thanks to solar panels.

The Solar Impulse project started only thanks to the enduring faith of its creators in miracles - it is simply impossible to explain the successful implementation of the project in any other way. It’s also difficult to call the idea of ​​an airplane that doesn’t use a drop of fuel ambitious. This is closer to science fiction.

However, science fiction, as such, has long and quietly become firmly established in our everyday lives, so it’s time to urgently stop being surprised by the implementation of seemingly completely incredible ideas. Therefore, let's move on to specifics.

Solar Impuls is truly the world's first manned (which is important) aircraft, capable of flying both day and night only due to solar energy. Why is this interesting to anyone other than the project initiators themselves? Well, at least because the very first flight that took place is direct proof of the artificiality of that very “oil needle” on which the entire planet sits.

This winged revolution is made almost entirely of carbon fiber and has the wingspan of a Boeing 747. Moreover, the entire weight of the aircraft is quite comparable to the weight of a small car and is only 1,600 kg.

To achieve such a result, it took seven whole years of hard work, endless calculations, modeling and testing by a group of 80 people, not counting hundreds of external specialists.

Nothing like this has ever been built before. The huge wings of Solar Impuls cover 12,000 solar cells. They power four electric motors powered by renewable energy sources. During the day, solar panels charge lithium batteries to capacity, which allow the aircraft to fly at night.

Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg completed an almost impossible project - at least that’s what prominent aircraft industry experts thought. The partnership turned out to be extremely productive: together the entrepreneurs managed to cover all areas necessary for the development of ideas. Picard, who at one time received a degree as a psychiatrist, managed to interest and attract investors; engineer and entrepreneur Borschberg assembled and subsequently led a group of 80 technical specialists.

Founders

Andre Borschberg

Swiss businessman and pilot, co-founder of Solar Impuls. It was he who sat at the helm of the first plane to make the longest flight without fuel in the history of mankind. Borschberg was the most suitable candidate for the role of pilot of the project: he has more than 20 years of service in the Swiss Air Force. In addition, Andre’s entrepreneurial skills made it possible to bring the project’s, to put it mildly, utopian idea to life. As the company's CEO, he managed to unite more than 70 people into a single mechanism focused only on success - no matter how distant the goal.

Bertrand Picard

Swiss psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard has been fascinated by flight since childhood - which, given his family history, is not at all surprising. Both Picard's father and grandfather were famous aeronauts and inventors. Naturally, Bertrand, who grew up in such an atmosphere, simply could not help but follow their path. He is the main dreamer of Solar Impuls, firmly convinced that the most important thing for any business is to sincerely believe in the reality of its implementation.

First flight

No instinct or premonition can justify such a risky project in the eyes of investors. Another thing is practical testing. Solar Impulse 1, the world's first manned one aircraft powered by solar energy, capable of functioning at night, took off and crossed two continents.

The project participants made this recording based on the results of the first flight. Among other things, here they meet with one of the investors who supported the project - Richard Branson from Virgin Galactic.

After this, even complete skeptics stopped doubting the advisability of investments: the pair of innovators Picard-Borschberg demonstrated the accessibility of using clean technologies and renewable energy sources.

During its first flight, Solar Impulse 1 set as many as 8 world records. But both Picard and Borschberg were not going to stop there: the entrepreneurs’ plans included the idea of ​​launching a second version of the device into the air.

Solar Impulse 2 received almost unlimited autonomy. Flying around globe- without a drop of fuel and without landings. Here, technicians will have to take into account another important factor: the comfort of the pilot, who will have to make this, without exaggeration, legendary flight alone.

Footage of one of the first test flights of Solar Impuls 2, filmed using GoPro.

5 days and nights, over the oceans, from continent to continent. A week of life in a 3.8 m3 cabin, every detail of which is tailored to the needs of the pilot.

A small sketch depicting both the project participants and the flight itself.

Dassault Systems

To develop the second version of Solar Impulse, engineers used technologies from Dassault Systèmes. Testing all new developments on a live prototype would mean wasting years and years of unnecessary work. This problem was completely solved by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, which allowed technicians to carry out all the necessary calculations.

CATIA and ENOVIA applications, from the world leader in 3D design solutions, help you accurately design and appearance aircraft and technically important controls.

Technical characteristics of Solar Impulse 2

Flight altitude 8500 m

Nominal weight 2300 kg

Cruising speed 70 km/h

Wing span 72 meters

Powerplant: four 7.35 kW engines, Li-Po batteries.

Four screws, diameter 3.5 meters

Weight 400 kg.

Solar Impulse 2 trip around the world

Now the time has come for the second record flight on the second model Solar Impulse 2. It began on March 9, 2015 from Abu Dhabi. It is expected that in five months the aircraft will cover 35 thousand kilometers.

Borschberg himself will be at the controls during the record-breaking flight. He will be replaced by a co-pilot, Swiss Bertrand Picard.

The route will run from Abu Dhabi to Oman, and from there to India and China. The flight will then continue across the Pacific Ocean, the USA and European countries. The device will not enter Russian space; 12 landings will be made along the route.

The first aircraft in the series, Solar Impulse, was presented to the public in 2009. The first project had the goal of using exclusively solar energy for flight. Theoretically, the plane can remain in the air around the clock, since excess solar energy received during the day is stored in a system of capacitors that can be used when flying at night.

Solar Impulse 2 (Solar Impulse 2) - an improved version of the first sample. Its presentation took place exactly a year ago - March 9, 2014. During this time, the aircraft passed tests. The plane is equipped with 17 thousand solar batteries, which power four electric motors. When fully charged, the speed can reach up to 140 kilometers per hour. Electric capacitors can keep the device at an altitude of 8500 meters all night.

Successful completion of a trip around the world

On July 26, 2016 at 5 a.m. the plane solar powered Solar Impulse 2 has completed its trip around the world. The last flight took place from Cairo to Abu Dhabi, from where the plane began its journey on March 9, 2015. During the flight, Solar Impulse set 19 world records, and its solar panels generated 11,000 kWh of electricity.

Solar Impulse 2 completed 17 flights with a total length of 42,000 km. The plane flew over three seas and two oceans. The project cost about 115 million euros. The average speed of the plane was about 70 kilometers per hour. It was equipped with more than 17 thousand solar panels, which were built into wings with a span greater than that of a Boeing 747. At night, the aircraft was powered by lithium-ion charging cells.

“My team and I wanted to show that clean technologies today demonstrate incredible opportunities. Now you can fly without fuel longer than with fuel, and fly with the help of the forces of nature, fly with the sun. This is a new era for energy, and this is what we really want to inspire people to do,” said Bertrand Piccard.

The trip around the world on the Solar Impulse 2 plane is almost completed. Why is the flight so important?

In the summer of 2016, Solar Impulse 2 completed its first solar-powered flight across the Atlantic. The unique experiment was that this air machine had been trying to travel around the world for more than a year without spending a drop of fuel. Last year, the flight was interrupted for 9 months due to an unexpected equipment breakdown. In this article we will talk about Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world trip and explain why this experiment is so important.

Founders

The idea of ​​​​creating the Solar Impulse aircraft belongs to two Swiss Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg. Picard works as a psychiatrist, and Borschberg has his own business, but both of them have decent experience in participating in various adventurous ventures.

Back in 1999, Picard orbited the Earth on hot-air balloon without landing, thereby becoming the first person to successfully complete such a flight. Borschberg was a fighter pilot in the Swiss Air Force for two decades.

Both travelers take turns flying the single-seat Solar Impulse aircraft. This interesting project is being financed by both government agencies and private companies.

First flight

“We approached several companies that are developing aircraft,” says Andre Borschberg. “They looked at the set of specifications and said we were asking for the impossible.” Therefore, we had to build such a device ourselves. More precisely, even two.”

In 2003, the first work began on creating Solar Impulse on solar batteries. In 2009, a prototype of the aircraft was already ready, the first version of which could make a non-stop flight for a certain time (36 hours).

A year later, the unique Solar Impulse 1 aircraft set a world record. The duration of the solar-powered flight was 26 hours (the remaining charge in the batteries after the flight at night was about 40%). The second version of Solar Impulse in 2013 had time non-stop flight increased even more.

Eight world records were set during the first flight of the solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 1. Pilots Borschberg and Picard plan, without stopping at the existing results, to move on and test Solar Impulse 2 (the second version of the experimental aircraft) as quickly as possible.

Flying laboratory

Solar Impulse 2, according to official press releases from the developers, in most cases is called not an airplane, but a flying laboratory. Innovative engineering developments are tested there throughout the flight. Those designs that have been used for decades in traditional aviation are not used here because their weight is not suitable for Solar Impulse 2, it is too large.

According to Borshberg, he and Picard are insured against any technical errors during the operation of the aircraft. Solar Impulse 2 was initially designed electronically using CAD (computer-aided design). Only after this were the parts of the aircraft, many of which have no analogues in existing aviation, made from real materials.

The fuselage frame made of lightweight carbon fiber, produced by a Swiss company without the use of epoxy resins, weighs only 50 kg. Manufacturers of aircraft parts do not have experience in implementing such structures, so making a fuselage from carbon fiber was, one might say, a certain challenge. But the specialists from Decision, who design high-speed yachts, successfully coped with this task.

Bertrand Piccard says that during the production of the fuselage using the CATIA system, every gram of the design was taken into account, and all parts were tested on a computer, allowing to recreate any loads with a minimum margin of safety. The next stage of testing was that these same elements of the aircraft were tested in real conditions.

Borschberg once shared his favorite joke with reporters: any part that did not break during testing is too heavy for Solar Impulse 2.

But one element, which plays a significant role in the entire structure, surprisingly turned out to be very light. It was a tail boom manufactured over a period of five months. During testing, a crack appeared in it, caused by an error in computer design.

Picard and Borschberg had to postpone their flight for a year. This time was used to improve the qualities of the existing aircraft design and fly to the USA on a prototype of the first version of Solar Impulse.

In 2013, the second version of the aircraft was ready with an increased non-stop flight time.

It is interesting that the wingspan of the second version of the aircraft is much larger than that of the Boeing 747 and slightly smaller than that of the huge Airbus A380. The weight of Solar Impulse 2 is 2300 kg and this aircraft is capable of flying at altitudes of up to 12 km, while the standard ceiling is 8,000 meters.

Almost 270 m2 is equal to the area of ​​solar panels of Solar Impulse 2. These units provide energy to four engines, which accelerate the aircraft’s speed to 140 km per hour. Of course, these figures are maximum, and during normal flight Solar Impulse 2 generally flies a little slower: 90 km per hour during the day and 60 km per hour at night.

Technical characteristics of Solar Impulse 2

Cockpit
The leaky and unheated cockpit with a volume of 3.8 m3 must support the life of one pilot for 5-7 days. To protect against fluctuations in ambient temperature (from -40 to +400°C), passive thermal insulation is used. The cockpit is equipped with a fold-out lounge chair and a toilet. The pilot will consume 2.4 kg of food, 2.5 liters of water and six oxygen cylinders per day.

Computer
The autopilot helps stabilize the flight and monitors the status of all systems. The system reports dangerous rolls exceeding 50 using vibration devices mounted in the sleeves of the pilot’s suit. More than a hundred different aircraft parameters and pilot vital signs are transmitted via satellite communication to the flight control center.

Design
The fuselage frame is made of ultra-light composite materials - ultra-light carbon fiber (based on carbon fiber, three times lighter than ordinary paper, 25 g/m2) and honeycomb fillers and weighs only 50 kg. The wing has a span of 72 m; inside its aerodynamic profile is supported by 140 carbon fiber ribs located at 50-centimeter intervals.

Slow flight

The official presentation of the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft took place in 2014. Although they already had experience testing Solar Impulse 1, Picard and Borschberg decided, before the first flights, to conduct additional tests on a special simulator, which was intended to develop basic skills in managing a flying laboratory.

However, contrary to initial assumptions, this task turned out to be quite difficult to implement in reality. I had to invite you for a consultation former pilot NASA, which has vast experience in solving these types of problems.

During multi-day training tests, the following shortcomings were discovered: Solar Impulse 2 was too slow to respond to roll commands, but at the same time too sensitive to pitch commands. According to Picard, you need to respond quickly to roll, but at the same time stop inputting the controls before any reaction occurs. A roll correction of 5°, taking 20 seconds, is the maximum allowable angle set on the Solar Impulse 2 as part of aircraft safety.

Of course, the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft, which has similar technical characteristics, not used for flights in bad weather. In addition, pilots must take all possible measures to avoid exposure to turbulence.

To the maximum high altitude it is planned to carry out a cruising flight and land the plane in the dark (at this time there is little turbulence on the earth's surface).

“Twenty people will monitor Solar Impulse 2 from mission control, including meteorologists who have previously forecast the weather within the time frame trip around the world air machine,” says Borschberg. “In addition, meteorological specialists will make timely corrections to the route throughout the flight. This will avoid strong winds, turbulence and clouds that can reduce solar energy and lead to icing.”

The Solar Impulse 2 flight in the daytime is planned at a maximum altitude (8500 meters), and at night - up to 3000 meters with a lift-to-drag ratio of 40 (in other words, if the plane descends by 1 meter, it will fly 40 meters horizontally), which ultimately will provide an additional 220 km of flight. Therefore, the energy in the solar panels is enough to reach cruising altitude even in low clouds.

Such aircraft had never been built before. 12,000 solar panels are located on the large wings of Solar Impulse 2. During the daytime, these batteries charge lithium batteries, which allow the aircraft to continue flying at night.

According to authoritative experts in the field of aircraft construction, Borschberg and Picard implemented, one might say, a unique project that has no analogues in the history of aviation. Their extremely productive partnership made it possible to implement everything necessary for the implementation of this project.

Picard (a psychiatrist by training) successfully attracted investors, and businessman Borschberg organized a group that included 80 highly qualified technical specialists, including in the field of aircraft manufacturing.

Solar Impulse 2 trip around the world

It is expected that in 5 months, Solar Impulse 2, powered by solar batteries, will fly around the world. On March 9, 2015, a trip around the world began in Abu Dhabi. After that, Solar Impulse 2 flew to Oman, then to Myanmar, India, China and Japan. Next - across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. The pilots’ plans also include the USA and Spain, and they plan to finish their flight in Abu Dhabi. The brave experimenters wanted to complete the journey back in 2015, but Solar Impulse 2 had breakdowns in its solar panels, which took 9 months to repair. In the spring of 2016, the plane continued its flight.

On this moment The solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 has only one final flight left - from Spain to Abu Dhabi. But its exact date has not yet been determined. The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft is capable of flying for 5 days without landing. The flight from Nagoya to Hawaii lasted a full 117 hours 52 minutes; Andre Borschberg covered 8924 km during this time at average speed 75.7 km per hour.

Yoga classes, which he practiced right in the cockpit, helped Borshberg during the difficult flight. In addition, periodic short-term sleep restored strength. Both pilots: Picard and Borschberg consider the lack of a shower to be the main inconvenience (the testers used wet wipes). In addition, the toilet on the plane was a small hole in the bottom of the cabin, which was also extremely uncomfortable.

So, early in the morning at the end of July 2016, the Solar Impulse 2 solar-powered aircraft completed its circumnavigation of the world across the Atlantic Ocean. As many as 19 world records were set during this flight. 11,000 kWh of electricity was generated by Solar Impulse 2 solar panels.

In total, 17 flights were carried out on this aircraft, the total length of which was 42,000 km. The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft flew over two oceans and three seas. The total cost of the project was 115 million euros.

The main goal of Solar Impulse 2 is to attract the attention of the world community to “clean energy”. After all, a trip around the world on a unique aircraft proved that solar energy can replace fuel and become a possible alternative in aviation.

However, Picard and Borschberg do not believe that Solar Impulse 2 can be the main mode of transport. In their opinion, this plane is a symbol of the fact that it is possible to achieve amazing results with the help of renewable energy.

There have been previous attempts to implement similar projects, but none of them had such a technically sophisticated system. A solar-powered aircraft that can fly both day and night has never flown before. Solar Impulse 2 was the first such aircraft.

The project is interesting for the very reason that the round-the-world trip of the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft proved the artificial necessity of using oil as a source of fuel, which is used all over the world.

From this article you will learn what round-the-world air tickets are, where and how to buy round-the-world tickets and how much they cost.

What is a “round the world air ticket”

Of course, there are limitations here too. The number of flight miles, the number of flights from one continent to another are usually limited (it won’t be difficult to fly around all the continents, but flying back and forth, for example, from Asia to America will no longer work), as well as the number of flights. Usually the total number of stops is limited to 15-16, which is quite enough for a trip around the world.

There is also a rule that states that your last flight between countries should be made no earlier than 10 days after the start of the trip. So those who are planning to fit a trip around the world into a week-long vacation should reconsider their plans. But all alliances are not against making changes to the route and dates (of course, within reason) right during your trip. Have you arrived in Cambodia and realized that the planned 5 days will not be enough for you? No problem, the airline will change your booking to a subsequent ticket.

And of course, you shouldn’t forget that you will need the ones you are planning to visit, so you should calculate in advance whether you will have time to get all these visas?

What companies provide this service?

Star Alliance is the largest and oldest airline alliance on the planet. It includes 27 companies, including Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Swiss Air, Thai Airways, United Airlines and others.

Star Alliance offers us to purchase a round-the-world ticket with stops in 193 countries, at 1321 airports. The number of stops is limited to 16 (and at least five). WITH full list requirements can be found on the official website of the alliance in the Rond-the-World Fare section, FAQs www.staralliance.com/en/fares/round-the-world-fare.

The next largest airline in the alliance is SkyTeam. There are only 20 full members of the alliance, among them: Aeroflot, Air Europa, Air France, Alitalia, China Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines and others.

Skyteam is ready to take us to 1052 airports in 177 countries, which is also impressive. At the same time, we can make from 3 to 15 stops, which is only 1 stop less than the previous alliance. Find more detailed information available on the official website of the alliance www.skyteam.com/ru/Flights-and-Destinations/Travel-Passes/Go-Global.

And the last in scale is the Oneworld alliance, which consists of 15 members. These are AirBerlin, American Airlines, Finnair, S7, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, QatarAirways and others. As you can see, although Oneworld lags behind the previous two alliances in terms of the number of air carriers, it is in no way inferior to them in the importance and quality of service of its airlines. You can read about Oneworld round-the-world tickets on their official website in the Rond-the-World fares section www.oneworld.com/flights/round-the-world-fares/oneworld-explorer.

How to buy a round the world air ticket

Click the “Launch application” button, and then “Create a route”.

We get to the application page, where all the rules that your route must follow are immediately listed: direction, transfers, the need to cross the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and so on. We advise you to carefully read these rules to make it easier not only for you to choose countries for travel, but also to facilitate the process of booking a round-the-world ticket.

Let's choose the first planning option, in which we only need to list the cities we want to visit. The planner will automatically create a route in accordance with all the rules of the alliance.

Enter cities in random order into the line on the left or mark them on the map. Click “Create shortest path”. The planner will draw us a path that we will follow.

All we have to do is select flights and confirm the purchase. We enter the flight dates, age and number of passengers, as well as the class we are going to fly in: economy or business. The further process is no different from buying a regular air ticket. We enter passenger data, make payment, and now we are one step closer to the trip of our dreams! And with a round-the-world ticket in your pocket, other difficulties seem easily surmountable.

How much does a round the world air ticket cost?

We will enter the same route into the planner on the Star Alliance website www.staralliance.com/en/fares/round-the-world-fare#. Star Alliance also gives us a preliminary estimate of the cost, but in this case it is 183,500 rubles.

As you can see, the difference is more than significant. It also played a role that in the Star Alliance planner I myself determined the route, but in the Sky Team planner I only marked the cities, allowing the program to do everything for me, which led to a not very rationally constructed path.

In any case, when planning a trip and buying a round-the-world ticket, it is better to spend a little time and consider all three options that airline alliances offer us. Then the route will be the most optimal, and you will choose only those airlines that you like and the price of a round-the-world ticket can be much lower.

The Solar Impulse-2 aircraft, powered by solar panels, took off in Abu Dhabi on March 9, 2015 and headed east from the United States. United Arab Emirates towards Oman to set a world record for circumnavigation of the world.

The plane will fly around the Earth difficult route with numerous stops over the next five months. Stops will be required for rest, repairs and popularization of the technology.

The single-seater will be piloted alternately by two Swiss enthusiasts of environmentally friendly technologies - Andre Borschberg, who was at the helm in Abu Dhabi, and Bertrand Picard.

Conditions for success

“I am confident that we have a special airplane and it will take us across the oceans,” Borschberg told the BBC before takeoff.

The predecessor of the current machine, Solar Impulse-1, set a number of world records, including flying across the North American continent in 2013.

However, traveling around the Earth turned out to be a more ambitious goal, and for this it was necessary to build an even larger aircraft. The wingspan of Solar Impulse-2 is 72 meters, which is larger than that of the Boeing 747. Moreover, it weighs only 2.3 tons. Low mass is one of the conditions for the success of the expedition.

The aircraft's monowing is covered with 17.2 thousand solar panels, which produce energy to power the aircraft's electric motors. The maximum speed of the aircraft is 140 kilometers per hour.

The performance and reliability of 17 thousand solar cells on the upper surface of the wings, as well as lithium-ion batteries recharged from solar panels for flight at night, is the second condition for the successful completion of the flight.

This is especially important for flights across the Pacific and atlantic oceans, which will continue for several days without landing.

The aircraft was manufactured by the French design company Dassault Systemes. The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft was presented to the public in April 2014. In June he passed the next tests. The first long-duration flight of a solar-powered aircraft took place on April 7, 2010. Then Solar Impulse managed to stay in the air for approximately 75 minutes.

Without sleep

On Tuesday morning, the crew will depart towards India and China, after which travelers will fly over the Pacific Ocean, the United States and European countries. The aircraft is expected to cover 35 thousand kilometers in five months.

Pilots will have to go without sleep almost all this time - they will only be able to doze off for 20 minutes, as solo yachtsmen do.

The task is complicated by the need to stay all this time in a cabin measuring only 3.8 cubic meters, which is not much larger than a telephone booth.

Borshberg says that yoga will allow him to withstand these loads. Picard hopes for self-hypnosis. “But my passion will also support me,” he adds.

“16 years ago, I had a dream to fly around the world without fuel using solar energy alone. And now we're about to do it. I’m looking forward to being in the cockpit,” said Picard.

The aviators are supported by a well-trained team of engineers. The flight control center is in Monaco, but a team of engineers will follow the aircraft everywhere. They have a mobile hangar for layovers.

The success of Solar Impulse-2 is by no means guaranteed. Computer models show that ocean flights are possible, but only under favorable weather conditions.

This means the team may have to wait weeks for good weather on the ground.

If the plane is unable to make it across the Pacific or Atlantic, the pilot will eject and float in the ocean using survival gear until picked up by a passing ship.

Andre Borschberg is an engineer and military pilot by training, but he made his fortune on Internet technologies.

Bertrand Piccard is famous for his exploits in the field of aeronautics. In 1999, he made the first non-stop flight around the Earth in a hot air balloon.

He is the son of Jacques Piccard, who was the first to sink to the bottom in 1960 Mariana Trench– herself deep point World ocean.

And his grandfather Auguste Picard was the first to ascend into the stratosphere in a hot air balloon in 1931.