André Borschberg, the CEO and co-founder of Solar Impulse, has completed three continuous days and nights of simulated flight in preparation for the planned solar-powered circumnavigation of earth scheduled to take place in 2014. The purpose of the simulated flight was to evaluate the effects of continuous flight on the human body and the design and configuration of the airplane’s cockpit. The information will be taken into consideration for the final design of the second Solar Impulse airplane – the one that will be used for the flight around the world.
The first Solar Impulse prototype, the HB-SIA, has already achieved several milestones including a solar-powered night flight on July 7, 2010, with Borschberg at the controls. The flight lasted 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds. The airplane also completed its first international flight in May of last year.
