Swiss perspectives in 10 languages
Login

Solar Impulse team attempts 24 hour test flight

A plane called Solar Impulse, which is powered by the sun's rays, is all set for its first night flight in Payerne, western Switzerland. A Swiss research team, led by adventurer Bertrand Piccard, will try to fly for 24 hours non-stop as part of its test programme. Piccard is hoping to fly the solar-powered plane around the world in 2013. (Julie Hunt, swissinfo.ch/Solar Impulse)

This content was published on
1 minute

Julie worked as a radio reporter for BBC and independent radio all over the UK before joining swissinfo.ch's predecessor, Swiss Radio International, as a producer. After attending film school, Julie worked as an independent filmmaker before coming to swissinfo.ch in 2001. 

Julie Hunt


You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

Read more

More

Solar Impulse finds new nest at Payerne

This content was published on On Tuesday the 64-metre wing was re-assembled after it had been safely transported in three sections from Dübendorf to Payerne airfields. The first major test flight is due in mid-March with the long-term aim of flying around the world set for 2012. “We were happy at Dübendorf [in canton Zurich], but Payerne is ideal for…

Read more: Solar Impulse finds new nest at Payerne

More

Solar Impulse completes first flight

This content was published on The Solar Impulse plane landed after one-and-a-half hours in the air near its base, a military airfield at Payerne in western Switzerland. Piccard, who in 1999 co-piloted the first non-stop round-the-globe balloon flight, said the aim of the test flight was to see if the plane, with the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the…

Read more: Solar Impulse completes first flight

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR