Completing a dream:
the first
Round-the-World solar flight in history
We have now just watched our shared dream
unveil, becoming a reality. It’s with great emotion that I write this last blog
to report on the Round-the-World solar flights. Emotions, tears, relief,
exhilaration is what we are all feeling right now after completing the first
Round-the-World solar flight in history.
Bertrand Piccard made one last smooth
landing, kissing the warm tarmac with his solar airplane after a 48 hour
and 37 minute flight in Al1 Bateen Executive Airport, Abu Dhabi. He took
off from Cairo, Egypt at 11:28PM UTC, 7:28PM EDT on July 23rd / 1:28AM CEST on
July 24th and landed in Abu Dhabi at 12:05AM UTC, 2:05AM CEST on July 26th /
8:05PM EDT on July 25th. The solar airplane has now successfully made it full
circle around the world, proving that clean technologies can really achieve the
impossible.
The Mission Control Center in Monaco
exploded with relief (and perhaps a little grief), as if the 13 years of weight
on everyone’s shoulders had just evaporated.
This flight represents the most incredible
wrap-up of this adventure. With André Borschberg joining his engineers one last
time at the Mission Control Center in Monaco for the first half of the flight
and Bertrand Piccard piloting the revolutionary solar airplane to the finish
line.Inflight discussions were rich with passion and depth. Bertrand exchanged
ideas with the dedicated UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the passionate Christiana
Figueres (former
Executive Secretary of UNFCCC), the adventurer David de
Rothschild, the
newly appointed Patricia
Espinosa (current
Executive Secretary of UNFCCC), the Swiss President Johann
Schneider-Ammann, famous
R&B artist Akon, and the charming actress Marion
Cotillard -
sharing this achievement with them.
Completing a 13-year exploit is perhaps
the biggest challenge we now face. But as always, there are new adventures to
come. And for the Solar Impulse team, there definitely will be a new dream
seeking to be achieved.
And you might be asking what’s next? Surely dreams only grow with time. Now
that both pilots have made it through this journey, surely there is more to
come. Find out what’s next for Bertrand
Piccard andAndré
Borschberg.
BREAKING: we flew 40'000km without fuel. It's a first for energy, take it further! #futureisclean
"You have flown 40K km w/o fuel. But you have much energy!" - Ban Ki-moon to @SolarImpulse bit.ly/29Vm1xN
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.