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| Martin Reichlin | 2010-09-07 | |
| City Break | ||
| Good news: As soon as the weather conditions are favourable the HB-SIA will take off for its first trip through Switzerland. Almost exactly 100 years after the young pilot Ernest Failloubaz did the first Swiss flight from Avenches to Payerne in a Bleriot plane, Solar Impulse will again connect to Swiss cities in a pioneering act. The HB-SIA will start in Payerne around 3 am (CEST) and fly to Geneva where the machine will land at the international airport just before six o'clock in the morning. Around half past eight, the solar plane will then fly over the Lake of Geneva, the regions of Fribourg, Bern and Aarau and then land at Zürich, airport approximately three in the afternoon. Sounds exciting? I agree. Yet this trip from city to city will not happen just for mere pleasure. This mission will allow the Solar Impulse crew to practice with large airports and integrate in busy air traffic. Our slow machine will inevitably encounter much faster jets as soon as we start to take flights over long distances. In addition and equally as important, we will use the trans-Swiss-flight to introduce our educational program for young people to the public. So be ready and look out for the HB-SIA. Maybe it will show up just above your house. See you soon. | ||