mercredi 27 août 2014

SOLAR IMPULSE 2 TEST FLIGHTS











Solar Impulse - Around the World patch.

Aug. 27, 2014

Solar Impulse - Around The World In A Solar Airplane

Since the solar airplane’s first flight in June, all the test flights have been successful, even if there are still a few improvements to be made on this experimental aircraft.

You may have noticed the vertical stabilizer shaking on the videos, a problem that our team is currently fixing.

Each test flight enables exploration of a different part of the flight envelope, with the ultimate objective of obtaining aircraft certification, thus opening the way for Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg’s first flights!

Solar Impulse 2 over the lake of Neuchâtel (Switzerland)

In order to fix this problem, the engineering team has decided to develop a teeter control mechanism for each propeller, which should reduce the vibrations by allowing the propellers to adjust to the airflow.

Each of these modifications made to Solar Impulse 2 demonstrates how difficult a project like this is, its innovative nature, and the pioneering spirit shown every day by the entire team.

For more information about Solar Impulse, visit: http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Image, Text, Credit: Solar Impulse.

Cheers, Orbiter.ch