Swiss team tests solar plane,plans big takeoff for 2012

“To fly without fuel,we have to make it fly in line,” said Piccard,who in 1999 copiloted the first nonstop round-the-globe balloon flight. “There might be things that go wrong — maybe a technical problem,engine failure or a part breakdown.” The takeoff appeared smooth,however.

At a military airport in the Swiss countryside,the “Solar Impulse” plane lifted off after only a short acceleration on the runway,reaching a speed no faster than 45 kph. It slowly gained altitude above the green and beige fields,and disappeared eventually into the horizon as villagers watched from the nearest hills.

The Euro 70 million project has been conducting flea-hop tests since December,taking the plane no higher than 2 feet in altitude and 1,000 feet in distance. A night flight is planned later this year,and then a new plane will be built based on the results of those tests. The big takeoff is planned for 2012,and it will use not an ounce of fuel.

Using almost 12,000 solar cells,rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors,Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg plan to take the plane around the world with stops to allow them to switch over and stretch after long periods in the cramped cockpit.

With the engines providing only 40 horsepower,the plane will fly almost like a scooter in the sky,at an average flight speed of 70 kph. The trip will be split up into five stages — keeping the plane in the air for up to five days at a time — with the stopovers also allowing the team to show off their creation.

In 1980,the fragile Gossamer Penguin ultra-lightweight experimental solar plane flew short demonstration flights with one pilot on board. A more robust project called the Solar Challenger flew one pilot from France to England in a five-hour-plus trip in 1981.

“It’s a very important moment” after seven years of work,said Borschberg.