Pupils of French-speaking Switzerland, as promised last October, it’s now your turn to take part in the “Climate Pioneers” initiative!
As from today, this project of Swisscom, Solar ...
As from today, this project of Swisscom, Solar Impulse and myclimate is open to pupils in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Since its launch in September 2010, the initiative has allowed 2500 schoolchildren from the German-speaking part of Switzerland to carry out 140 climate-related projects.
The Marché-Neuf School in Bienne has already taken part in this initiative and will be followed by Lausanne, Belmont-sur-Lausanne and Porrentruy. For classes also wanting to do a project aimed at protecting the climate and to receive support in developing their ideas and putting them into practice, the foundation offers introductory lessons together with a range of learning materials.
Are you a pupil or a teacher from kindergarten upwards in the French-speaking part of Switzerland? Does this project interest you? Invite myclimate free into you class by sending an email to the following address: pionniers.duclimat@myclimate.org.
Bertrand and André are proud to be the promoters of this initiative and were delighted to reveal the projects for this year 2012 at the prize-giving ceremony.
On 6 February at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Micheline Calmy-Rey, former President of the Swiss Confederation, presented the report on sustainable development written by a panel of heads of state at the behest of the Secretary General of the United Nations.
Aware of the very clear message from Solar Impulse in favour of technologies that can reduce our dependency on fossil energy, she had asked Bertrand to speak alongside her.
For him ...
Aware of the very clear message from Solar Impulse in favour of technologies that can reduce our dependency on fossil energy, she had asked Bertrand to speak alongside her.
For him this was an opportunity to bring up the story about an exchange with his meteorologists during his round-the-world balloon trip and which describes so well the question of sustainability and the long-term vision. Very pleased with himself at having found an altitude where the winds were pushing him twice as fast as the team's calculations had suggested, his advisors replied ironically: "Do you prefer to fly very quickly in the wrong direction or more slowly in the right one?". "This is the question that governments should be asking now given the speed at which humanity is moving towards massive public debt, the depletion of natural resources and the pollution of our environment."
As Bertrand pointed out: "Today's pioneers should not limit themselves to being explorers who walk on the moon or who do trips round the world; they should be heads of state resolved to meet the even more ambitious challenge of improving the quality of life on this planet.
The report ends with a list of practical recommendations for governments and international institutions, such as the need to remove the many subsidies still given to fossil energy and to include the environmental costs in the prices of all products. "Lastly an official stance that a legal framework is essential to change certain types of behaviour", say Bertrand and André happy to have included this subject in their Energy Charter last year.
On November 28th 2003, when we launched the Solar Impulse project, André had never given a lecture and I did not have a pilot's licence.
Eight years later, in the same week, André received his first standing ovation at the end of a lecture for Dassault in Las Vegas, and I was doing my first night landings with Solar Impulse ...
Eight years later, in the same week, André received his first standing ovation at the end of a lecture for Dassault in Las Vegas, and I was doing my first night landings with Solar Impulse in Payerne.
Eight years of synergy, symbiosis and friendship. Happy Birthday Solar Impulse!
At the 20th Dijon International Adventure Film Festival 2011, I had the chance to go along with André to the screening of the documentary "Wings of the Sun".
Of course, working with him doesn’t mean that I see him every day… So it was a good opportunity to spend some time together.
Of course, working with him doesn’t mean that I see him every day… So it was a good opportunity to spend some time together.
For those who haven't heard of the "Ecrans de l'Aventure", this is a public film festival catering for visual media professionals, as well as those addicted to exploration, adventure, travel and distant horizons. This festival is not exactly unknown at Solar Impulse as, back in 1998, Bertrand received the Peter Bird/SPB Adventure Trophy after his 2nd round-the-world attempt in a balloon, to encourage him to keep trying. Then, in 1999, he was awarded the Adventurer of the Year Golden Fleece along with Brian Jones after their successful round-the-world trip in Orbiter III.
The reception event provided a backdrop for some emotional meetings, notably with Bernard Voyer, explorer and chairman of the jury, who has been to all 3 poles, and Anne Quémeré, who crossed the Pacific in a Kiteboat, to mention only two. After the screening of the documentary, Henri de Gerlache who directed it, and André faced an enthusiastic audience and a barrage of questions.
One of the surprises of the weekend was the Jury's "Special Mention" for the "Wings of the Sun". Congratulations Henri! Last but not least, Hugues de Wavrin, Vice-president of La Guilde, this year presented André with the Adventurer of the Year Golden Fleece for the 26 hour flight, which is shown in the documentary.
These awards recognise adventurers, male or female, and sometimes even teams who show exceptional commitment in expeditions of real endurance.
As winter approaches, the 2011 flight program draws to a close.
On Monday 31 October, Bertrand Piccard performed night take-offs and landings. After a total of 16 flights, the training of Bertrand ended successfully.
The training program, supervised ...
On Monday 31 October, Bertrand Piccard performed night take-offs and landings. After a total of 16 flights, the training of Bertrand ended successfully.
The training program, supervised by the Solar Impulse flight mission specialists had various objectives which have all been achieved. These included: mid altitude flights (4'000 m), circuit patterns, equipment and oxygen system testing, go arounds, motor failure tests and night take-off and landing.
Training will restart again in the Spring of 2012 with long-duration flights (10-18h).
When I was asked to assist the ground crew in Bertrand Piccard’s final high altitude training even if that meant rising earlier than the rooster’s crow, I had no hesitations whatsoever.
I was honored to have the opportunity to witness, with my own eyes, the entirely solar-powered prototype take-off from the military airport in Payerne and conquer the Helvetian skies.
These ...
I was honored to have the opportunity to witness, with my own eyes, the entirely solar-powered prototype take-off from the military airport in Payerne and conquer the Helvetian skies.
These tests are not only essential to prepare the pilots for the strenuous conditions they are exposed to during flights, but are also necessary to trial all the multimedia technology that Solar Impulse will use during the flight to Rabat, Morocco, planned for some time this month. The tests are proving to be successful, which is good news for you as everybody will be able to follow either André or Bertrand on Twitter, Facebook or Live Steam directly from our website.
After a quick briefing at 4:30am, each one of the 8 members of the ground crew swiftly took their positions and, in silence, began to skillfully handle the aircraft. Once the cockpit was set, the batteries plugged-in, and the motor started, “Mad Max”, an endearing name given to the HB-SIA transporter crane, cautiously rolled-out the aircraft onto the runway.
It was quite an impressive sight. Imagine a ballerina-like silhouette practically eclipsed by a remarkable set of overbearing wings: a wingspan so large (63,40m) in comparison to its compact body (21,85m) that each extremity must be sustained by a member of the ground crew with a set of skids (wing handles) during rollout.
The muffled whispers of the ground crew as they freed the prototype from “Mad Max’s” solid grip were practically overshadowed by the jovial spring birds’ chirps. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or simply the extraordinary nature of the situation, but it all felt surreal: sunrise versus a full moon, the pungent odor of natural fertilizer versus the stunning rural landscape, and, in the midst of it all, a solar airplane ready to defy, once again, the prejudices of its skeptics.
As Bertrand gained his position in the cockpit and the security run-ups were satisfactorily completed, the ground crew retracted to their positions behind the aircraft. Just seconds after the propellers began stirring; the HB-SIA was thrust forward and, in less than 150m, gained the dawning skies.
Don’t forget to stay tuned as the adventure will soon begin at Solar Impulse!