Success! Solar Impulse 2 completes trans-Pacific flight

Solar-powered plane lands in Santa Clara county after nonstop, 62-hour trip

Solar Impulse flies over Golden Gate Bridge
Source: Solar Impulse

Imagine you are piloting a plane the size of a 747. But unlike a 747, this plane has an unheated, unpressurized cockpit in which temperatures fall as low as -40°. Moreover, you have to fly for over 60 hours straight, without ever getting up to stretch. And as for sleep, don’t count on getting much. You can take naps, but only about 6 a day, each lasting 20 minutes.

Sound like your kind of challenge? If so, you should sign up to join the Solar Impulse team. Because that’s exactly the kind of endurance needed to pilot Solar Impulse 2, the solar-powered plane that has just completed the latest leg of its historic round-the-world flight.

Last Thursday, Solar Impulse 2 took off from Kalaeloa, Hawaii, with pilot Bertrand Piccard at the helm. (This is the same Piccard who, in 1999, became the first person to complete a non-stop balloon circumnavigation of the earth.) Sixty-two hours later, the plane touched down on Moffett airfield, in Santa Clara county. From there, it will fly to several points across the U.S. before it takes off from New York for a non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

Solar Impulse 2 has four propellers, but doesn’t sip an ounce of fuel. Instead, it relies solely on the power of the sun. As such, it is a testament to modern technology. But as I’ve already hinted, it is also a testament to the depths of human endurance and stick-with-it-ness. If you were impressed that anyone could pilot a plane for over 60 hours straight, consider the plane’s nonstop solo flight from Japan to Hawaii, which took 120 hours from start to finish!

QNX Software Systems is proud to be the official realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse team. The plane uses the QNX Neutrino OS for several control and data communication functions.

Read my previous posts on this groundbreaking project and check out the Solar Impulse website.

Solar Impulse returns to the skies

Crew of QNX-equipped solar plane set to resume historic flight

Solar Impulse: powered only
by the sun  Source: Solar Impulse

In case you missed it, Solar Impulse, the solar-powered airplane that is flying around the world to promote green energy, has returned to the skies.

The Solar Impulse team suffered a temporary setback last summer, when the plane’s batteries overheated during a five-day flight between Japan and Hawaii. Battery problems notwithstanding, the 120-hour trip set a world record for longest non-stop solo flight.

The team has since upgraded the plane with a newer (and cooler) battery system and has successfully completed three test flights. If all goes as planned, the plane will take off from Hawaii in mid-April for a four-day journey to the continental United States. Once the plane completes its U.S. crossing, it will fly non-stop across the Atlantic.

The plane’s round-the-world trek began on March 9, 2015, when it took off from an airport in Abu Dhabi. It then completed several hops, totaling 18000 kilometers, before landing in Kalaeloa on June 28.

Solar Impulse may be powered by the sun, but it can fly at night, using energy stored in its lithium-ion batteries — all 17250 of them. The plane is massive, with the wing span of a Boeing 747, yet weighs no more than a family car.

Solar Impulse bootup screen. Screen-grab from video.

QNX Software Systems is the official realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse team. The plane uses the QNX Neutrino OS for several control and data communication functions.

I’ve been tracking the progress of the Solar Impulse project since 2009. Read my previous posts, which include a look at the plane’s virtual cockpit. And remember to check out the Solar Impulse website.

They did it! Solar Impulse team makes non-stop flight from Japan to Hawaii

Solar-powered plane sets new endurance record while completing toughest leg of round-the-world journey.

Touching down in Kalaeloa

Source: Solar Impulse 

Now here's good news for a Friday afternoon: The Solar Impulse 2, a solar-powered plane outfitted with QNX technology, has landed safely in Kalaeloa, Hawaii, after completing the longest leg of its round-the-world mission and setting a new endurance record for solo flight.

The plane lifted off from Nagoya on June 28 and touched down in Kalaeloa almost 120 hours later, using the sun as its only power source. And did I mention? The plane had only pilot, André Borschberg, who was at the helm for the entire 5-day flight. Yes, he was able to take naps while the plane was on autopilot — but only 6 a day, each lasting 20 minutes. Color me impressed.

The team’s round-the-world flight, which started on March 9 in Abu Dhabi, hit a snag when the plane reached Nagoya, where weeks of bad weather threatened to cancel the project. But, finally, a five-day window of clear weather opened and the team was able to resume its historic journey, which is dedicated to the promotion of green energy.

The team’s other pilot, Bertrand Piccard, will fly the next leg, from Honolulu to Phoenix, Arizona. Piccard’s name may ring a bell, but not because of any Star Trek connection: In 1999, he became the first person to complete a non-stop balloon circumnavigation of the earth.

QNX Software Systems is the official realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse team, and the plane uses the QNX Neutrino OS for several control and data communication functions. Read my previous posts for more information on the Solar Impulse project.

Behind the controls of the Solar Impulse

Virtual cockpit lets you follow progress of round-the-world flight in real time.

What’s it like to get behind the controls of a solar-powered plane — a plane now in the process of circumnavigating the globe? You and I will never really know, but we can enjoy the next best thing: a virtual cockpit that provides a pilot’s eye view of the plane’s instrument panel.

Just point your browser to the Solar Impulse website whenever the plane is in the air, and you will see real-time updates to the plane’s flight instruments. For instance, in this screen capture, you can see the current position of the ailerons, airbrakes, elevators, and rudder, along with the airspeed (in knots), vertical speed (rate of climb or descent), heading, and altitude:



And in the following screen capture, you can see much of the same information, presented in a different fashion, along with the attitude indicator, which shows whether the wings are level and whether the nose is pointing above or below the horizon:



I've covered only a subset of the real-time information displayed on the Solar Impulse website. For example, you can also view a map of the plane’s progress, a video feed of the mission-control center, and the current power mode of the plane’s electrical system:



QNX Software Systems is the official realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse team, and the plane uses the QNX Neutrino OS for several control and data communication functions.

Flying in the dark on solar energy

Crew of QNX-equipped Solar Impulse plane gears up for historic flight.

The Solar Impulse 2, aka SI2
Source: Solar Impulse

The countdown has begun. On Monday, March 9, the Solar Impulse 2, a one-of-a-kind airplane that runs exclusively on solar power, will take off from an airport in Abu Dhabi. The destination? Abu Dhabi!

That’s right, this is a round trip — but not just any round trip. It is, in fact, the first attempt to fly around the world using only the power of the sun. On board will be André Borschberg, the former jet pilot who, together with Bertrand Piccard, cofounded the Solar Impulse project 12 years ago. (Piccard’s name may ring a bell — as well it should. In 1999, he became the first person to complete a non-stop balloon circumnavigation of the earth.)

The Solar Impulse can fly at night, using energy stored in its lithium-ion batteries. But it’s no fly-by-night operation. Borschberg and Piccard have spent the last 12 years on this project and have set 8 world records in the process, including longest uninterrupted flight (26 hours, 10 minutes) and highest altitude (9235 meters) for a solar-powered plane. That’s pretty impressive, but then, everything about this plane is remarkable, from the wingspan (72 meters) to the number of voltaic cells (17250) that power its electric motors.

Solar Impulse bootup screen. Screen-grab from video.

The human element is equally impressive. To cross the Pacific or Atlantic ocean, the plane, which has a cruise speed of 90  km/h, will need to stay airborne for about 5 days, nonstop. And that means the pilot also needs to stay airborne for 5 days, in an unheated, unpressurized cabin with temperatures ranging from -40°C to +40°C. Yes, the pilot is allowed to take naps, but only 6 a day, each lasting 20 minutes. Not surprisingly, both pilots (Borschberg and Piccard will each take turns flying the plane), have learned self-hypnosis and meditation techniques to help them enter and exit deep sleep as quickly as possible. The plane can accommodate only one pilot at a time, and the team plans a total of five stops to allow changes of pilots.

As mentioned in previous posts, QNX Software Systems is the official realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse team, and the plane uses the QNX Neutrino OS for several control and data communication functions. So, as you can imagine, come next Monday, my browser will be tuned to the Solar Impulse website. I hope yours will, too.

Until then, here's a “making of” video of the Solar Impulse 2. Enjoy.

Flying around the world on solar power

Did you miss it? I missed it. And I really wanted to catch it. Earlier this month — while I was paying attention to gosh knows what — the Solar Impulse team unveiled the first solar-powered aircraft capable of flying around the world. It’s called Solar Impulse 2, and it will embark on its round-the-world tour in March 2015.

The Solar Impulse team thinks big, but they also think smart. For instance, they didn't try to build a globe-circling solar plane right off the bat. Instead, they took a stepwise approach and built a plane that could fly shorter hops — across a continent, for example. The lessons learned from building and flying that first plane, which successfully crossed Europe, Africa, and the US, helped the team develop Solar Impulse 2.

Not surprisingly, Solar Impulse 2 is larger than its predecessor. The wingspan has grown from about 64 meters to 72 meters, the weight from about 1600 kilos to 2300 kilos, and the number of voltaic cells from about 12000 to 17000. That’s a lot of batteries.

Mind you, the numbers tell only part of the story. The Solar Impulse 2 project also required the development of innovative materials and construction methods, including new electrolytes to boost the energy density of the voltaic cells.

This story isn’t just about technology. It’s also about human skill and endurance. For instance, to cross the Atlantic or Pacific ocean, the plane, which has a top speed of 90 km/h, will need to stay airborne for about 5 or 6 days. And that means the pilot will have to sit in an unheated, unpressurized cockpit for more than 120 hours in temperatures that could range from -40°C to +40°C. These guys aren’t just smart; they’re tough to boot.

Did I mention? QNX Software Systems is the official realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse team, and the plane uses the QNX OS for several control and data communication functions. Which is, well, cool.

The plane is scheduled to launch in about 310 days. And this time, I’ll be paying attention. By the way, here's the part that I missed:



See previous posts on the Solar Impulse project.

Solar Impulse plane completes final leg of cross-America trek

It has the wingspan of a Boeing 777, but weighs only as much as a family car. It has four propellers, but doesn’t sip an ounce of fuel. It's called the Solar Impulse, and it is the first plane designed to fly round the clock using only solar power.

In early May, the Solar Impulse took off from Mountain View, California on the first leg of its journey across America. Last night, it completed the trek, landing at New York's JFK Airport. In between, the plane made stopovers at Phoenix, Dallas, St. Louis, and Washington DC, allowing the Solar Impulse team to meet the public, show off the plane, and promote their vision of renewal energy. (In New York next weekend? If so, you're in luck: you can see the plane in person at JFK.)

Along the way, the plane set a new distance record for solar-powered flight: 1541 kilometers. The previous record was 1116 kilometers, set by — you guessed it — the Solar Impulse team.

QNX Software Systems is the official realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse project, which uses QNX technology for several of the plane's control and data management functions. For more on the project and the people behind it, see the Solar Impulse website.

But before you go, check out this video, which starts off with some inspiring clips of the Solar Impulse in flight — followed by a cameo appearance by Larry Page wearing Google Glass.

Solar Impulse plane launches cross-America trek — with QNX on board

It isn't always easy being green. But it can be really cool. Case in point: the Solar Impulse HB-SIA, a one-of-a-kind airplane powered only by the sun. Earlier this morning, the HB-SIA took off from an airfield in Mountain View, California, to start the first leg of its journey across America.

QNX is the official (and mighty proud) realtime OS partner for the Solar Impulse project. For more on the project and its goal of promoting green energy, see my previous posts and the Solar Impulse website.

Meanwhile, here is footage of this morning's take-off, courtesy of CNET:

Why do I work at QNX? Reason #3: We enable cool

My previous post focused on pride. Not the selfish kind (see hubris), but rather, the pride in contributing to a company that helps create things that matter, be they systems that deliver electricity to your home, the Internet to your home, or, in the case of emergency, an ambulance to your home.

But enough with the serious stuff. Let’s focus on some seriously cool stuff instead. I also like being part of QNX because we help people create things…

like this (Audi A8 MMI system):



and this (Solar Impulse solar-powered plane):



and this (JamMan guitar pedals; jump to 1:25):



and this (Asimov Lunar rover):



and, of course, this (I never leave home without one):



For more examples of cool (and important) QNX-powered stuff, check out this overview on the QNX website.

Stay tuned for next post: “I hate being bored”
Previous post: "We help make a difference"

 

CNN airs video of Solar Impulse solar-powered plane

It has the wingspan of a Boeing 777, but weighs only as much as a family car. It has four propellers, but doesn’t consume an ounce of fuel. It's called the Solar Impulse, and it's the first plane designed to fly round the clock using only solar power.

I've already posted several articles on the Solar Impulse, which uses the QNX OS for a variety of control and data management functions. But this CNN video has some particularly nice shots of the plane. Enjoy!


 

Solar Impulse aircraft completes first international flight

A few days ago, I told you that the Solar Impulse, a solar-powered airplane that takes advantage of the QNX Neutrino RTOS, was ready to take its first international flight. Well, the Solar Impulse team must be breaking out the champagne, because the flight was a success.

Check out this short clip from AFP:


 

Solar Impulse plane poised to take first European flight

It has the wingspan of a Boeing 777, but weighs only as much as a family car. It has four propellers, but doesn’t consume an ounce of fuel. It is, to say the least, unique in the aviation world. And if you’re in Paris this June, you’ll have the unique opportunity to see it take to the skies.

I’m talking about the Solar Impulse HB-SIA, the first plane designed to fly round the clock using solar power. Equipped with four electric motors powered by 12000 solar cells, the HB-SIA has already made several flights, but always within Swiss borders. That’s about to change.

Recently, the HB-SIA received clearance to make its first European flight. The first stop is Brussels, where the plane will be on display from May 23 to 29. From there, the HB-SIA will fly to Paris, where it will make a guest appearance at the International Paris Air Show, from June 20 to 26. Weather permitting, the HB-SIA will fly over the air show every morning, allowing visitors to see a plane powered only by the sun.

As mentioned in previous posts (see here and here), QNX is the realtime operating system provider for the Solar Impulse project. I hope to provide more details in coming posts.

Here's an Associated Press video documenting the completion of the HB-SIA's first 24-hour flight (you may have to wait out a 10-second commercial):



By the way, the Solar Impulse team doesn't have suffer from any delusions that solar-powered planes will someday replace conventional aircraft. Their main goal is promote greater use of renewable energy. To quote Bertrand Piccard, the plane's creator, "Solar Impulse is being developed primarily to change the energy consumption philosophy. We want [everyone] to understand that the renewable energy sources can be used quite effectively."
 

Solar Impulse plane completes first test flight

As I mentioned in an earlier post, QNX Software Systems is the realtime operating system provider for the Solar Impulse project, which intends to fly a solar plane around the world in 2012.

The champagne corks were popping on December 3, because on that day, the flagship aircraft for the Solar Impulse project left the ground for the first time. The flight was just a ”flea hop” — 350 metres in length at an altitude of 1 meter — but it was an important milestone nonetheless.

Now that the plane has proved airworthy, the Solar Impulse team will dismantle it and transport it to the airfield in Payerne, Switzerland. Starting in early 2010, the plane will make its first solar test flights — the solar panels weren’t used in the initial test flight — and the team will gradually increase flight duration until the plane makes its first night flight using solar energy.

Here's a video of the test flight; the best part starts at the 0:50 mark:

Solar Impulse: QNX to play role in first round-the-world solar-powered flight

Quick, what’s 211 feet wide, weighs 3500 pounds, cruises at 45 mph, and runs on 11,000 voltaic cells?

Answer: The first solar-powered plane designed to circumnavigate the Earth.

I don’t have any details yet, but I've just learned that QNX is the realtime operating system provider for the Solar Impulse project, which intends to fly a solar plane around the world in 2012.

Earlier this month, the project team unveiled a test plane, dubbed the HB-SIA, near the city of Zurich. Using data gathered from the test flights, the team will create another iteration of the plane for the 2012 trip. That plane, the HB-SIB, will complete its round-the-world flight in five legs. (It would be impossible for a pilot to remain seated in the plane for the entire trip.)

It’s easy to dismiss such a grandiose project, but Bertrand Piccard, the plane’s creator and pilot, made the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight back in 1999. So he serious street cred. Also, judging by the sponsors — the Deutsche Banke, for example — the project has major financial support.

In fact, you can help support the project yourself, by “sponsoring” one of the plane’s voltaic cells. If you click here, you’ll see that cell number 1969 is sponsored by Buzz Aldrin, so you would be in good company. :-)

Interestingly, the Solar Impulse team states that the project is largely symbolic, created to promote greater use of renewable energy. Speaking to a reporter, Piccard said, "Solar Impulse is being developed primarily to change the energy consumption philosophy. We want [everyone] to understand that the renewable energy sources can be used quite effectively."

That said, Piccard is also on record as saying that some of technology developed for the plane could have commercial applications.

More on this story as I uncover details about QNX's role in the Solar Impulse project. Until then, a video...