The two Solar Impulse pilots, one after the other, spent 25 hours flying non-stop at the controls of the solar airplane simulator. Bertrand Piccard from Tuesday 13 May at 7:27 to Wednesday 14 May at 8:43, and André Borschberg from Thursday 15 May at 7:20 to Friday 16 May at 8:38.
After his 25 hours on board – in a confined space of less than 1.5 m3, Bertrand Piccard emerged from his virtual flight full of enthusiasm. Five screens, arranged in a 210° arc around the cockpit, gave the pilot the impression that he was really flying: “I went into a simulator and came back out of an airplane. This proves to what extent the simulation is fascinating.
André Borschberg practiced circling in the sky over Payerne, descending and landing, testing the behavior of Solar Impulse in windy and turbulent conditions. “The airplane seemed very safe to me, but let’s not forget it is only a simulator. Piloting the prototype will be even more demanding and will involve much more of the unknown.
Thank you to all viewers and looking forward to seeing you at the real world.
After his 25 hours on board – in a confined space of less than 1.5 m3, Bertrand Piccard emerged from his virtual flight full of enthusiasm. Five screens, arranged in a 210° arc around the cockpit, gave the pilot the impression that he was really flying: “I went into a simulator and came back out of an airplane. This proves to what extent the simulation is fascinating.
André Borschberg practiced circling in the sky over Payerne, descending and landing, testing the behavior of Solar Impulse in windy and turbulent conditions. “The airplane seemed very safe to me, but let’s not forget it is only a simulator. Piloting the prototype will be even more demanding and will involve much more of the unknown.
Thank you to all viewers and looking forward to seeing you at the real world.
Location: Payerne
Pilot: Bertrand Piccard
KM covered: 995.112
Location: Payerne
Pilot: André Borschberg
KM covered: 697.7
2008-05-16 01:10 (pm) - The last word
First off, I must apologise for my little slip of typing Prince Albert of Italy when of course it should have been Monaco. It was corrected very quickly and I was a little red-faced for a while. To be honest I don't understand what the fuss was about as I was only a few kilometres in error, but apparently having risked causing an international incident, it was not my finest hour!
But as you see, I'm still here - probably only because I...
