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André endured many challenges requiring him to carefully
maintain a balance between wearing an oxygen mask for
long stretches of time during high altitude, getting
enough rest and maximizing the energy levels of the
plane, particularly during turbulent weather conditions.
Successfully accomplishing this 8th leg by remaining
airborne for 5 consecutive days and nights has now
proven that the airplane’s critical
components
perform
exceptionally
and
that Solar
Impulse’s vision
of
reaching
unlimited endurance without fuel, using solely the power
of the sun, was not only a dream: perpetual flight is a
reality.
“I
feel exhilarated by this extraordinary journey. I have
climbed the equivalent altitude of
Mount Everest five times without much rest.
The team at the
Mission
Control
Center
in Monaco (MCC) was my eyes and my ears… The MCC was
battling to give me the
possibility to rest
and recover, but also maximizing the aircraft’s
energy levels and sending me trajectories and flight
strategies simulated by computer", said André Borschberg,
"This success fully validates the vision that my partner
Bertrand Piccard had after his round-the-world balloon
flight to reach unlimited endurance in an airplane
without fuel", he adds.
"What André has achieved is extraordinary
from the perspective of a pilot. But furthermore, he has
also led the technical team during the construction of
this revolutionary prototype. It is not only a historic
first in aviation it is also a historic first for
renewable energies." said Bertrand Piccard, initiator of
Solar Impulse, chairman and pilot.
Solar Impulse’s bold mission of building a solar plane
was created to demonstrate how pioneering spirit,
innovation and clean technologies can change the world
and to encourage people to save energy and promote the
use of clean technologies globally. Departing from
Abu Dhabi
in March, the explorers are not on this endeavor for the
sake of it, as mankind is facing a much bigger problem
with pollution, depletion of natural resources and
climate change. For Bertrand Piccard, the unprecedented
accomplishment is to demonstrate that if technological
solutions exist to fly a plane day and night without
fuel - which has been successfully proven - then there
is potential for these same efficient technologies to be
used in our daily lives, and to achieve energy savings
to reduce CO2 emissions.
During a typical 24-hour flight cycle, the pilot
rests eight times averaging between 5 and 20 minutes
per day. This is possible only at lower altitudes
when the oxygen mask is required to be worn. The
pilot’s daily intake is 2.4 kg (5.2 lbs) of food,
2.5 l (84.5 oz) of water, and 1 l (33.8 oz) of
sports drink per day. His meals include a breakfast,
a lunch prepared to be as similar as possible to
home-made meals, and snacks including dried fruits
and chocolate. The nutritional composition of the
food will fluctuate with respect to altitudes and
temperatures because the pilots require more energy
when flying at higher altitudes – in spite of
decreased appetites due to increased elevation.
Borschberg performed yoga 30 to 45 minutes a day to
stay fit and prevent any potential negative effects
of immobility.
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