Solar plane makes maiden international flight

Powered by the sun, a solar energy plane made the world’s first international flight recently showcasing the potential for pollution-free air travel.

The Solar Impulse took off from an airfield at Payerne in western Switzerland and landed at Brussels airport after a 13-hour flight.

The Solar Impulse project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million Euros ($128 million) and has involved engineers from Swiss lift maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay.

The plane, which requires 12,000 solar cells, embarked on its first flight in April 2010 and completed a 26-hour flight, a record flying time for a solar powered aircraft, three months later.

With an average flying speed of 70 kmph (44 mph), Solar Impulse is not an immediate threat to commercial jets, which can easily cruise at more than 10 times the speed. A flight from Geneva to Brussels can take little more than an hour.

The single-seat had lifted off gently in clear blue skies from Payerne air base after being delayed by early morning mist.

It covered roughly 480 km from western Switzerland to Brussels airport, flying over France and Luxembourg at 3,600 metres.

Solar Impulse HB-SIA, which has the wingspan of a large airliner but weighs no more than a saloon car, made history in July 2010 as the first manned plane to fly around the clock and through the night on the sun’s energy.

It holds the endurance and altitude records for a manned solar-powered aeroplane after staying aloft for 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds above Switzerland, flying at 9,235 metres.

The high-tech plane has since flown several times, notably between Geneva and Zurich airports, but the journey to a busy airport in Brussels through crowded airspace was regarded as a new test.