The man who flew around the world in a hot air balloon has set his sights on a much more daunting task: Flying around the world in a solar powered plane (the HB-SIA to be exact).
Bertrand Piccard started the company Solar Impulse with his partner Andre Borschberg and it appears as though the HB-SIA dream is about to come true.
It is as large as a jumbo jet with the weight of a standard car. It runs on four 10 horsepower electric engines that are powered by the sun. It is expected to fly at an altitude of 8500 km at a speed of 70 km/hr (around the world should take no time at all…yeah, right).
Preliminary flight test should begin later this year.
Zero-Fuel Planes
Sights Set on Trip Around the World in HB-SIA Solar-Powered Jet
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