As mentioned by Brian in 2008, I think he's making up for all those hours of video gaming he didn't have when he was young! I'm sure there's a lot of envy there!

After this first night, I welcome the chance of talking about fatigue management, which we are testing here in Dübendorf during this virtual flight.

For the round the world flight, the pilot's rest strategy will be divided into 2 phases:

• For flights over land, the pilot will not sleep, because these flights will be shorter, something like 24 to 36 hours, and he will use relaxation techniques other than sleep. This is what André was doing during the 26 hour Night Flight in 2010.
• However, for crossing oceans (the Pacific and the Atlantic), the pilot will organise his sleep in multiple phases; he will take micro-naps of around 20 minutes each only on the parts of the flight that are outside controlled air spaces and only over water.

Here we are training in two types of rest: relaxation and napping (micro-naps). André can sleep for 6 hours in 20 minute periods staggered over a day (24 hrs).

In addition, we are taking advantage of the time André is in the simulator to put him into a sleep deficit situation so that we can assess his degree of vigilance day and night, before and after rest periods.

This will enable us to develop the best flight and rest strategy for each pilot based on their individual aptitudes.

In this exercise, the Solar Impulse team is supported by different partners to produce the best strategy: two laboratories at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) are taking part: the Embedded Systems Laboratory (ESL) and the Defitech Foundation Chair in Non-invasive Brain-computer Interfacing (CNBI)

The ESL is going to measure the pilot's heart rate and the CNBI will measure his brain activity. In parallel, the researchers from the EPFL are going to carry out attention and reaction-speed tests at regular intervals, and study his responses to questionnaires.

A team of Hirslanden doctors are monitoring the progress of the simulation and analysing the physiological and medical data gathered in order to measure the quality of the pilot's rest and also the effects of a long-duration flight.

Here is a video to give you a glimpse of these tests!

EUROCONTROL

institutional partner

EUROCONTROL has become an institutional partner of Solar Impulse and gives operational support to Solar Impulse flights in the controlled airspace of its 38 European member states.

Designated as the Network Manager by the European Commission, EUROCONTROL aims at delivering a performance-based ATM system through operations management and monitoring, deployment coordination and crisis management.

EUROCONTROL helps Solar Impulse flights by liaising with air navigation service providers and military authorities, so that the special aircraft are protected from traffic in their long, slow climb through congested airspace. Its Network Manager Operations Centre disseminates all relevant information to air traffic control centres along the flight path so that they can prepare and update flight operations.

“As an organisation, EUROCONTROL is committed to reducing aviation’s impact on the environment and to ensuring greater efficiency in the European air traffic network. These are goals which appear to me to be totally compatible with Solar Impulse’s objectives.” David McMillan, Director General EUROCONTROL.

Read more about EUROCONTROL here: www.eurocontrol.int

IATA

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNER

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is also an Institutional Partner of Solar Impulse. IATA represents no less than 240 airlines accounting for 94% of scheduled international air traffic. The organization represents, leads and serves the airline industry in general.

IATA has committed to promoting and supporting Solar Impulse, and to facilitating smooth take-offs and landings during its round-the-world flight.

"Solar Impulse and IATA share a common vision. We are natural partners. We are both looking towards a zero carbon emission future for air travel. Solar power is one of the building blocks that will make this happen. The Solar Impulse initiative is proof that with vision anything is possible - even carbon free flight."

Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of IATA

DASSAULT 

AERONAUTICAL PARTNER

Dassault Aviation, known worldwide for its civil and military aircraft, has worked alongside Solar Impulse as aircraft manufacturing adviser at the design review stage of the solar airplane and continues as an expert for the development programme.

On the basis of its aeronautical experience and aircraft manufacturer know-how and as a designer of complex air systems, DASSAULT AVIATION is providing Solar Impulse with critical expert advice on the definition and development of the solar airplane, particularly in the areas of energy management, electrical systems, avionics and flight controls and systems security and reliability.

"Dassault Aviation’s contribution to the Solar Impulse project as Aircraft Manufacturing Adviser, is written in the company's long tradition of using its research facilities' centres of excellence to take up the great technological challenges of the day. In the past, Dassault Aviation has been able to find fruitful synergies between its competence as an architect of complex aeronautical systems and areas as diverse as automobile racing and very high-performance navigation."

Dassault Aviation

Photo gallery and video of the presentation of Solar Impulse to President Chirac on the Dassault stand: FR 

ACI Europe (AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL )

Institutional Partner

AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL Europe has become an institutional partner of Solar Impulse. ACI EUROPE is the voice of Europe’s airports, representing some 400 airports in 46 European countries. Member airports handle 90% of commercial air traffic in Europe, welcoming more than 1.5 billion passengers each year.

ACI EUROPE has committed to supporting Solar Impulse, promoting its journey and facilitating meaningful contact with airports on operational aspects (landings, take-offs and the associated, relevant safety protocol) of the Solar Impulse flight itinerary in Europe.

“Solar Impulse and ACI EUROPE are a natural fit. Our members are hard at work on some of the most ambitious carbon neutrality goals of the airport industry worldwide and through our carbon management certification programme, Airport Carbon Accreditation, a visible transformation is occurring on the ground. Meanwhile, in the air, Solar Impulse is providing genuine inspiration and visibility to aviation’s irrepressible spirit of innovation and its round-the-world flight is fuelling a global conversation about what aviation can achieve in the decades to come.” Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI EUROPE.